X  977-3 


COP*  3 


Hi.  HBT. 


OF  THE 


NORTHWEST 


WITH    THE 


HISTORY  OF  CHICAGO 


[N    TWO   VOLUMES 
VOL.  II. 

BY 

Rufus   Bl  an  chard. 


CHICAGO: 

R.  BLANCHARD  AND  COMPANY 

169  RANDOLPH  ST. 

1900 


77  Z  3 
jr 

V. 


INTRODUCTION  TO  VOLUME  II. 

The  first  link  in  the  chain  of  our  history  was  forged 
by  Greece.  Passing  down  through  the  uncoil  of  cen- 
turies, link  by  link,  this  chain  can  be  traced  through 
the  civilizing  process  in  Europe,  which  began,  at  first, 
in  Greece ;  but  this  process  was  far  short  of  completion, 
according  to  our  present  standard,  when  America  was 
discovered.  Here  an  unoccupied  field  for  its  finishing 
touches  was  presented,  and  the  work  went  on  with 
accumulated  force  and  timely  speed. 

The  American  colonists  forged  an  advanced  link  in 
this  chain  when  they  astonished  Europe  by  improvising 
new  principles  in  national  policy.  That  these  princi- 
ples were  an  improvement  on  the  old  is  proven  from 
the  fact  that,  in  substance,  they  have  been  adopted  by 
the  leading  nations  of  Europe. 

In  the  westward  course  of  empire  the  great  North- 
west poses  as  the  ideal  type  of  the  principles  essential 
to  our  integrity  as  a  Nation.  This  is  the  last  link  in  the 
chain,  none  of  which  are  missing,  in  the  pages  of  history, 
from  Greece,  across  the  Atlantic;  and  from  its  rugged 
shores  to  the  Northwest.  Here  it  is  our  mission  to 
reproduce,  on  our  own  soil,  with  improvements,  all  that 
is  worth  copying  in  Europe. 

Chicago  has  begun  this  work  here,  and  the  records 
of  this  volume  would  be  imperfect  without  their  con- 
temporary history. 

Prominent  among  them  are  the  Armour  Institute, 
the  Field  Columbian  Museum,  the  Chicago  University, 
the  Academy  of  Sciences,  the  Yerkes  Observatory,  the 
Newberry  Library,  the  John  Crerar  Library,  the  Art 
Institute,  the  Public  Library,  the  Lewis  Institute  and 
the  Chicago  Institute. 


(3) 


4  Introduction. 

They  decorate  our  city,  as  the  advanced  student  in 
science  is  decorated  with  a  title.  The  inspiration  of 
the  people  was  the  incentive  to  building  them,  and  their 
founders  honored  the  call.  Each  of  them  will  be  de- 
scribed by  such  persons  connected  with  them,  respect- 
ively, as  are  qualified  to  do  it  successfully  and  faithfully. 
No  other  city  in  the  wide  world,  of  Chicago's  age,  has 
ever  been  the  beneficiary  of  such  magnanimous  gifts. 
These  institutions  are  indispensable  to  the  fame  and 
credit  of  our  city,  in  the  estimation  of  the  literati  of 
the  world  and  their  kindred  associations. 

Other  portions  of  this  volume  will  be  made  up  with 
things  pertaining  to  our  history,  chosen  according  to 
the  best  judgment  of  the  writer  and  his  assistants,  some 
of  whose  autographs  may  be  seen  at  the  end  of  Volume 
I,  and  others  will  appear  at  the  end  of  Volume  II. 

Chicago,  since  its  first  discovery,  has  been  identified 
with  the  growth  of  the  whole  country;  it  is  now  brought 
into  relations  with  the  whole  world,  not  only  by  its 
tutelary  institutions,  but  by  the  laws  of  commerce.  So 
versatile  are  its  interests,  and  its  provisions  to  fulfill  its 
obligations  incumbent  upon  a  great  metropolis,  that, 
without  the  aid  of  many  persons  familiar  with  the 
required  knowledge  of  them,  their  history  could  not  be 
written. 

I  thank  such  persons  for  this  aid,  and  that  posterity 
will  thank  them  will  be  the  conviction  of  the  statistician 
and  the  book  worm. 

CHICAGO,  January,  1900.  RUFUS  BLANCHARD. 


THE  PRESS  OF  CHICAGO. 

In  the  club  rooms  of  London,  in  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, old  English  ale  stimulated  gossip  on  the  few 
topics  of  the  day  that  excited  public  attention  at  that 
time — few,  because  inalienable  allegiance  to  hereditary 
rulers,  then  the  unchallenged  policy  of  the  state,  had 
relieved  the  masses  from  responsibility  as  to  anything 
but  the  bread  and  butter  question,  hence  the  small 
number  of  issues  to  discuss. 

How  blue  blood  found  its  way  into  the  veins  of 
ignoble  skins  to  bait  them  with  the  food  of  the  tree  of 
knowledge  can  only  be  left  to  speculation,  but  it  did, 
and  begat  a  hybrid  offspring  that  conceived  the  doc- 
trine of  inalienable  rights,  in  lieu  of  inalienable  alle- 
giance. 

Then  the  newspaper  began  to  grow  from  seeds  that 
this  innovation  had  planted;  but  it  grew  slowly  in 
England,  its  political  soil  having  been  exhausted  for 
lack  of  rotation  of  executive  crops,  until  the  whig  party 
made  parliament'  superior  to  the  crown;  then  it  grew 
faster. 

In  America  a  virgin  soil  was  well  adapted  to  its 
culture,  and  it  grew  as  fast  as  settlements  grew,  and 
made  its  acorn  planted  here  the  monarch  of  the  forest, 
like  the  oak. 

Its  field  fills  every  avenue  of  thought — nothing  es- 
capes its  notice.  Its  pen  of  criticism  is  dipped  in  gall, 
if  occasion  requires  it,  and  its  approval  fires  the  heart 
of  the  bright  side  of  man.  Every  interest  of  the  coun- 
try is  amenable  to  the  standard  of  the  types,  and  the 
place  that  stands  nearest  to  the  center  of  power  holds 
the  helm  in  our  hive  of  industry.  This  is  Chicago,  from 

(5) 


6  The  Press  of  Chicago. 

whose  argus  eye  not  a  sparrow  falls  to  the  ground  un- 
noticed. 

Boston,  New  York,  New  Orleans  and  San  Francisco 
are  at  the  extremes;  they  may  be  shaken  without  the 
center  being  moved;  but  if  any  misfortune  should  hap- 
pen to  Chicago,  they  might  be  put  on  short  rations. 

in  the  literature  that  comes  within  the  sphere  of 
editorial  columns  Chicago  is  conspicuous  for  sensation. 

What  is  not  prudent  to  advocate  direct,  at  first  can 
be  told  by  implication,  till  it  meets  general  approval, 
when  it  can  be  emphasized.  Sensation  is  employed  to 
do  this,  and  to  give  effect  to  waves  of  sentiment  that 
move  the  public  mind,  and  here  it  is  made  the  most  of. 

It  is  old  fashioned  to  tell  facts,  only  as  fast  as  they 
materialize.  Chicago  anticipates  them  in  sensational 
head  lines.  For  this  indiscretion,  if  it  be  such,  she  can 
afford  to  stand  impeached ;  but  there  are  nice  distinc- 
tions in  this  newspaper  prerogative.  The  use  of  words 
must  be  scrutinized  with  care,  and  Chicago  editors  are 
experts  in  this  art  of  producing  results  required  by  a 
considerate  public  that  does  its  own  thinking,  and  not 
even  in,  violation  of  partisan  fads,  infrequently  puts  vest 
pocket  votes  into  the  ballot  box. 

Sensational  logic — to  advocate  what  ought  to  be — is 
the  highest  aim  of  the  Chicago  editor,  whether  he  does 
it  by  a  flank  movement  or  direct  attack,  for  which  ac- 
complishment geographical  and  moral  reasons  exist. 

Our  trading  interests  ally  us  to  the  Atlantic  coast, 
and  make  it  tor  our  interest  to  reciprocate  an  exchange 
of  sentiment  with  Boston  and  New  York  on  the  lines  of 
commerce  and  the  friendly  associations  that  go  with 
them. 

Fraternal  relations  with  the  south  came,  because 
Chicago  editors  were  the  first  to  extend  the  right  hand 
of  good-fellowship  to  it,  and  to  honor  the  memory  of 
their  soldiers,  whose  graves  are  with  us.  This  is  a  proof 
that  we  are  the  center  of  equilibrium  for  the  whole 
country,  and  this  responsibility  tempers  our  logic  with 
cosmopolitan  grace  and  dignity. 

4 '  Of  him  to  whom  much  is  given,  much  will  be 
required,"  is  our  maxim. 


The  Press  of  Chicago.  7 

The  extreme  west  is  our  left  wing,  constantly  being 
reinforced  with  mental  athletes,  who  do  honor  to  the 
central  main  body  of  our  American  army  of  civilians. 

Hence  Chicago  editors  are  more  cosmopolitan  than 
those  of  any  other  city;  they  are  forced  to  be  by  the 
inexorable  laws  of  comity  of  interests.  From  this  stand- 
point they  have  all  they  can  do  to  write  up  live  issues 
without  meddling  with  dead  ones  or  wasting  thunder 
in  hyperbole. 

It  is  the  country,  or,  better  said,  the  Nation,  that  has 
given  the  Chicago  press  this  high  position.  The  oppor- 
tunity has  been  utilized  by  the  press  to  become  its 
honorable  exponent.  Its  arena  is  versatile,  its  themes 
inexhaustible,  its  clientage  universal,  for  who  does  not 
read  a  newspaper?  Whose  opinions  are  not  modified 
by  its  influence  ?  Why,  because  they  are  the  result  of 
the  public  thoughts  formulated  into  practicable  theories, 
changeable  only  to  suit  the  growing  wants  that  environ 
us  near,  and  far,  bounded  only  by  a  nation's  limits,  that 
in  peace  or  war  are  dependent  on  Chicago  for  table 
supplies,  and  on  her  politically  strategic  locality  for 
nominating  conventions  for  presidential  elections. 

The  first  veritable  evidence  of  this  was  in  1860, 
when  Abraham  Lincoln  was  nominated  by  the  repub- 
lican party  for  president.  This  party  had  suffered 
defeat  in  the  previous  presidential  canvass,  with  its 
issue  clearly  defined,  and  it  was  a  problem  in  the 
minds  of  able  statesmen  whether  the  turning  point  in 
the  wave  of  excitement  then  present  had  passed  or  not. 
In  this  emergency  the  Chicago  press  came  to  the  rescue, 
claiming  that  the  prevailing  sentiment  north  of  Mason 
&  Dixon's  line  was  no  transient  impulse,  but  a  necessary 
national  policy;  that  the  hour  for  decisive  action  had 
come,  and  the  man  to  lead  in  it;  and  that  man  was 
Abraham  Lincoln.  When  Fort  Sumter  was  fired  on, 
then  the  New  York  press  put  out  the  feeler,  ' '  Wayward 
sisters,  depart  in  peace";  the  Chicago  press,  like  a  flame 
of  fire,  demanded  resistance  to  the  last  extremity. 
When  the  next  nominating  convention  for  president 
came,  it  was  an  issue  whether  to  compromise  with  the 
south  or  push  the  war.  The  latter  policy  prevailed  more 


8  The  Press  of  Chicago. 

through  the  influence  of  the  Chicago  press  than  from 
that  of  any  other  city.  From  that  day  on,  the  Chicago 
press  has  been  foremost  in  national  issues. 

The  press  here  is  the  organ  of  young,  stalwart 
America  in  the  plenitude  of  her  might,  and  must  be, 
as  long  as  rivers  and  lakes — the  forces  of  nature — are 
in  alliance  with  the  commercial  forces  centered  here. 

AXIOM. 
Chicago  is  the  most  American  of  all  America. 

When  James  Gorden  Bennett,  Thurlow  Weed  and 
Horace  Greeley  laid  the  foundation  for  the  rising  grand- 
eur and  ultimate  supremacy  of  the  American  press  they 
were  peerless  in  their  calling  and  exemplary  in  their 
achievements.  Their  mantle  of  honor  has  fallen  on  no 
individual  shoulders.  It  became  the  controlling  spirit 
of  American  newspapers,  and  an  inspiration  which 
Chicago  has  secured  within  her  toils,  because  she  had 
the  best  opportunity  to  do  it. 

The  following  list  of  Chicago  daily  papers  enjoy  this 
privilege,  and  it  is  here  given  for  the  benefit  of  reference 
in  futurity:  Abendpost  (German),  Chicago  Chronicle, 
Chicago  Democrat,  Dziennik  Chicagoski  (Polish),  Chi- 
cago Evening  Post,  Freie  Presse  (German),  Illinois  Staats 
Zeitung  (German),  Chicago  Inter  Ocean,  Chicago  Jour- 
nal, Narod  (Bohemian),  Chicago  Daily  News,  Chicago 
Record,  Skandinaven  (Norwegian- Danish),  South  Side 
Daily  Sun,  Svornost  (Bohemian),  Chicago  Times- 
Herald,  Chicago  Tribune-,  besides  these  The  Economist, 
a  weekly  financial  paper,  deserves  mention. 

Editorial  literature,  now,  is  in  the  hands  of  many  wri- 
ters, all  of  whom  scrutinize  and  analyze  the  actions  of 
men  and  nations  according  to  one  common  standard; 
no  single  master  mind,  in  this  guild,  holding  a  control- 
ling influence  over  the  whole,  but  the  whole  holding  the 
situation  with  a  moral  grip,  acknowledging  allegiance 
only  to  a  well  digested  public  judgment.  If  popular 
governments  are  right  this  is  right.  In  London  T/ie 
Thunderer  holds  the  key  to  the  celestial  gate;  in  Chicago 
the  gates  are  ajar. 


CHICAGO  CHARTERED  AS  A  CITY. 


FIRST    MAYOR    ELECTED. 

The  year  1836  had  been  one  of  remarkable  prosper- 
ity to  the  little  village  of  Chicago.  Its  population 
had  grown  to  the  astonishing  number  of  3820  (as es- 
timated), from  a  beginning  of  about  200  persons  in 
1833.  Work  on  the  canal  had  actually  been  begun 
and  the  harbor  was  in  process  of  improvement,  at  the 
expense  of  the  general  government.  Land  specula- 
tors were  rapidly  buying  up  the  lands,  and  that  sys- 
tem of  real  estate  speculation,  which  has  since  this 
period  presented  such  fascinations  to  the  speculative 
capitalists  of  the  country,  was  now  inaugurated. 
Under  these  auspicious  beginnings,  on  the  26th  of 
October,  the  town  board  took  the  necessary  steps  to 
take  upon  themselves  the  forms  of  a  city.  The  pres- 
ident of  the  board  of  trustees  invited  the  inhabitants 
of  each  of  the  three  districts  of  which  the  town  was 
composed,  to  select  delegates  to  meet  the  board,  to 
confer  together  on  the  expediency  of  applying  to  the 
legislature  for  a  city  charter.  The  meeting  had  place 
on  the  25th  of  November,  and  resulted  in  the  appoint- 
ment, by  Eli  B.  Williams,  the  President  of  the  board, 
of  five  delegates  to  draw  up  the  charter,  in  form  for 
presentation.  Their  names  were  Ebenezer  Peck,  J.  D. 
Caton,  T.  W.  Smith,  Wm.  B.  Ogden,  and  Nathan  H. 
Belles.  On  December  9th,  this  committee,  through 
Mr.  Peck,  presented  their  charter  to  the  board,  and 

(9) 


io  Charter  Election. 

after  some  amendments  it  was  adopted,  and  on  the 
fourth  of  March,  the  next  year,  1837,  the  legislature 
of  Illinois  passed  the  bill  approving  the  charter,  and 
Chicago  took  upon  herself  the  forms  of  a  city.  The  next 
move  was  to  choose  a  Mayor.  The  material  for  an  able 
one,  was  not  wan  ting;  but  from  its  very  excess  the  diffi- 
culty in  making  a  choice  was  increased .  Happily  there 
were  no  spoils  at  stake  and  no  rings  to  covet  them. 

The  issue  was  defined  by  the  two  political  parties, 
which  then  divided  the  country,  on  political  economy. 
The  whig  party  represented  one,  and  the  Democratic 
party  the  other.  And  here  it  may  be  pertinent  to  say 
that  the  separate  policies  of  the  two  parties  could  not 
be  accurately  defined  in  theory,  so  as  to  be  well  under- 
stood at  this  day;  but  practically  the  Whigs  repre- 
sented a  policy,  which  embraced  a  liberal  system  of 
banking,  protective  tariffs,  and  an  extensive  system 
of  public  works,  while  the  Democrats  did  not  oppose 
this,  entirely,  but  professed  to  guard  against  excesses 
in  their  propagation.  The  most  of  them  went  for  me- 
talic  currency  only,  or  paper  convertible  at  the  will  of 
the  holder.  John  H.  Kinzie  was  the  Whig  candidate 
for  mayor,  and  Wm.  B.  Ogden  the  Democratic.  Says 
Hon.  John  Wentworth:  "Both  were  members  of  the 
old  St,  James  Episcopal  Church,  both  men  of  wealth 
for  that  time,  and  there  was  nothing  in  the  character 
of  either  of  the  men  to  give  either  one  any  advantage 
over  the  other.  It  was  a  fair  stand-up  fight  between 
the  Whigs  and  Democrats.  Men  of  each  political  par- 
ty wanted  the  city  government  to  stand  under  its  pe- 
culiar auspices".  The  contest  was  sharp  and  spirted, 
and  great  care  was  taken  to  provide  against  illegal 
voting.  Young  Wentworth  was  challenged  on  the 
grounds  of  his  youth,  and  was  sworn  before  being  al- 
lowed to  vote — a  suspicion  of  the  truth  of  which 
charge,  he  humorously  says,  he  has  since  outgrown. 

Mr.  Ogden  received  469  votes  and  Mr.  Kinzie  237, 
showing  a  large  majority  of  the  citizens  of  Chicago  to 


Charter  Election. 


ii 


be  in  favor  of  the  democratic  policy  of  the  country, 
at  which  time,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say,  we  were  al 
most  at  a  loss  for  any  very  vital  issue.  The  total 
vote  of  the  south  division  was  408,  of  the  north  204, 
and  of  the  west  97,  and  of  the  whole  city  709. 


ENLARGEMENT  OF  CHICAGO  BY  WARDS  AND  CITY  LIMITS. 
BY  JOHN  A.  MOODY,  CHIEF  CLERK  IN  CITY  CLERK'S  OFFICE. 

In  1835,  John  H.  Kinzie,  GurdonS.  Hubbard,Ebe- 
nezer  Goodrich,  JohnK.Boyer  and  John  S.  C.  Hogan 
were  constituted  by  the  legislature  of  Illinois  a  body 
politic  and  corporate  to  be  known  by  the  name  of  the 
"Trustees  of  the  Town  of  Chicago."  The  jurisdiction 
of  the  town  extended  over  all  that  districts  contained 
in  sections  nine  and  sixteen,  north  and  south  frac- 
tional section  ten  and  fractional  section  fifteen,  in 
township  39,  N.  R.  14  E.  of  the  3rd  P.  M.,  except 
that  portion  of  fractional  section  ten  occupied  by  the 
United  States,  for  military  purposes.  The  act  creat- 
ing the  town  provided  that  the  corporate  powers  and 
duties  should  be  vested  in  a  board  of  nine  trustees, 
after  the  first  Monday  of  June,  A.  D.  1835,  on  which 
date  the  term  of  office  of  the  above  named  gentlemen 
expired.  In  the  year  following,  the  system  of  water 
works  of  Chicago  was  instituted  by  the  act  incorpo- 
rating the  Chicago  Hydraulic  Company. 

Two  years  after  the  incorporation  of  the  town,  on 
the  4th  of  March,  1837,  the  legislature  enacted  that 
"the  district  of  country  known  as  the  east  half  of  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  thirty-three,  fractional 
section  thirty-four,  the  east  fourth  part  of  sections 
six,  seven,  eighteen  and  nineteen,  all  in  township 
forty;  also  fractional  section  three,  sections  four,  five, 
eight,  nine,  and  fractional  section  ten,  excepting  the 
southwest  fractional  quarter  of  said  section  ten, 
occupied  as  a  military  post,  untill  the  same  shall  be- 


12  Wards     City   Limits. 

come  private  property,  fractional  section  fifteen,  sec- 
tions sixteen,  seventeen,  twenty,  twenty-one,  and 
fractional  section  twenty-two,  all  in  township  thirty- 
nine,  range  fourteen,  east  of  the  third  P.M.;  being  in 
the  county  of  Cook  and  State  of  Illinois,  should  be 
known  as  the  CITY  OF  CHICAGO." 

It  is  impossible  to  give  the  boundaries  above  fixed 
by  streets.  There  is  a  manifest  error  in  the  copy  of 
the  act  which  is  on  file  in  the  office  of  the  city  clerk. 
The  maps  show  that  the  sections  six,  seven,  eighteen 
and  nineteen,  above  mentioned,  are  in  township 
thirty-nine  instead  of  forty. 

The  territory  was  divided  into  six  wards;  of  which 
the  1st  and  2nd  were  in  the  south,  the  3rd  and  4th 
in  the  west,  and  the  5th  and  6th  in  the  north  divis- 
ions, respectivelly.  The  government  was  vested  in 
a  mayor  and  twelve  aldermen-two  aldermen  from 
each  ward,  except  the  third  and  fifth  wards,  which 
were  en  titled  to  but  one  alderman  each,  until  the  ann- 
ual election  for  the  year  1839. 

By  the  act  of  March  4, 1837,  the  school  system  of  Chi- 
cago was  first  established;  and  by  an  act  passed  Mar. 
1,  1839,  additional  powers  were  granted  the  common 
council  for  establishing  and  maintaining  schools. 

Within  ten  years  from  its  incorporation,  the  new 
city  felt  that  it  did  not  contain  territory  enough,  and 
that  its  original  charter  was  insufficient  for  its  prop- 
er government.  On  Feb.  16,  1847,  a  supplementary 
act  was  passed  extending  the  limits  so  as  to  include 
all  the  territory  bounded  as  follows  : 

Beginning  at  the  intersection  of  22nd  street  with 
the  lake  shore,  thence  west  to  Western  avenue,  thence 
north  to  North  avenue,  thence  east  to  Sedgwick 
street,  thence  north  to  Fullerton  avenue,  thence  east 
to  the  lake,  thence  southward,  on  the  lake  shore,  to 
the  place  of  beginning. 

The  city  was  also  divided  into  nine  wards  of  wnich 
the  1st,  2nd,  3rd  and  4th  were  in  the  south  division. 


Wards — City   Limits,   Taxation,  Debt.  13 

the  5th  and  6th  in  the  west,  and  the  7th,  8th  and9th 
in  the  north  division. 

The  city  census  taken  in  that  year  showed  a  pop- 
ulation of  16,859  persons.  The  valuation  of  the  real 
and  personal  estate  was,  $5,849,170;  the  amount  of 
revenue  raised  by  taxation  $18,159,01,  and  the  float- 
ing liabilities  $13,179,89. 

In  1851,  the  various  acts  affecting  the  city  were  re- 
duced into  one  act,  and  additional  powers  were  gran- 
ted, but  the  boundaries  of  the  city  were  not  changed. 

In  1853,  the  city  was  by  act  of  the  general  assembly 
divided  into  the  divisions  called  north,  south  and 
west,  the  limits  were  also  extended  so  as  to  include 
within  the  city  all  of  sections  27, 28, 29  and  30,  T.  39,  * 
N.  R.  14E.,  also  those  parts  of  31  and  32  T.  40,  R. 
14,  lying  east  of  the  north  branch,  and  also  the  W.  % 
of  Sec.  33,  40,  R.,14. 

This  extension  made  31  st  street  the  southern  bound- 
ry,  Western  avenue  from  31st  street  to  North  avenue 
and  the  north  branch  from  North  avenue  to  Fuller- 
ton  avenue  the  western  boundaries,  and  North  ave- 
nue and  Fullerton  aveuue  the  northern  boundaries. 

The  jurisdiction  of  the  city  was  also  extended  over 
so  much  of  the  shore  and  bed  of  the  lake,  as  lie  within 
one  mile  east  of  fractional  section  27. 

The  number  of  the  wards  was  not  changed,  the  ad- 
ded territory  being  annexed  to  the  1st,  2nd,  3rd,  4th, 
5th  and  7th  wards. 

The  city  census  taken  in  1853,  showed  a  popula- 
tion of  60,652.  The  valuation  was  $16,841,831.00, 
and  the  bonded  debt,  $189,670. 

In  1855  the  sewerage  system  of  Chicago  was  inaug- 
urated by  the  creation  of  aboard  of  sewerage  commis- 
i  oners,  with  such  powers  and  duties  as  were  deemed 
necessary  to  carry  into  effect  its  objects. 
The  amended  city  charter,  approved  Feb.  15,th  1857, 
provided  for  the  creation  of  an  additional  ward,  the 
tenth,  out  of  the  territory  in  the  West  Division. 


14  Wards — City  Limits ,  Taxation,  Debt. 

By  the  revised  charter  of  1863,  the  city  limits  were  ex- 
tended so  as  to  include  all  of  township  39,  north 
range  14  east  of  the  3rd  P.  M.,  and  all  of  sections  31, 
32,  33  and  fractional  section  34,  40,  14,  with  so 
much  of  the  waters  and  bed  of  Lake  Michigan  as  lie 
within  one  mile  of  the  shore,  and  east  of  the  territory 
aforesaid.  The  street  boundaries  were  Egan  avenue 
(39th  street)  on  the  south,  Western  avenue  on  the 
west  and  Fullerton  avenue  on  the  north.  The  terri- 
tory was  divided  into  sixteen  wards  of  which  the  1st 
to  the  5th  inclusive  were  in  the  south,  the  6th  to  the 
12th  inclusive  in  the  west,  and  the  four  remaining  in 
the  north  division.  Again  in  1869,  the  general  as- 
sembly ex"Lended  the  city  limits  on  the  west  so  as  to 
include  within  it  the  terrritory  lying  north  of  the  Il- 
linois &  Michigan  Canal,  east  of  Crawford  avenue  and 
south  of  North  avenue.  The  same  act  divided  the 
city  into  twenty  wards,  of  which  six  were  located  in 
the  South  Division,  nine  in  the  West  Division  and  five 
in  the  North  Division.  The  city  then  contained  an 
area  of  at  least  thirty-five  square  miles  with  a  popu- 
lation of  306,605  persons,  an  assessed  valuation  of 
$275,986,550.00  and  a  bonded  indebtedness  of  over 
$11,000,000.00. 

In  1870  it  levied  a  tax  of  $4,139,798.70.  In  1837 
the  tax  levy  was  $5,905.15. 

In  1875  the  question  whether  the  city  should  re- 
organize under  the  general  incorporation  act,  was 
submitted  to  a  vote  of  the  people,  and  was  adopted 
by  a  vote  of  11,714  for,  to  10,281  against. 

Lest  this  vote  may  be  taken  as  an  indication  of  the 
number  of  voters  in  the  city  at  that  time,  I  desire  to 
state  here  that  at  the  last  preceding  general  election 
for  mayor,  47,390  votes  were  cast. 

Under  the  provisions  of  the  general  incorporation 
law,  the  council  divided  the  city  into  eighteen  wards- 
five  in  the  South  Division,  nine  in  the  West  Division, 
and  four  in  the  North  Division. 


Grade  of  Chicago  Streets.  15 

By  virtue  of  various  amendments  to  the  charter, 
the  city  government  was,  at  the  time  of  reorganiz- 
ation, in  the  hands  of  many  irresponsible  boards. 

Under  powers  given  by  the  newr  incorporation  law, 
these  boards  were  all  abolished,  and  the  departments 
governed  by  them  reestablished  on  ordinances 
passed  by. the  city  council.  The  machinery  of  the 
city  government  is  now  more  simple  and  less  expen- 
sive, considering  the  vastly  greater  business  entrus- 
ted to  it,  than  under  any  of  the  older  charters.  The 
mayor  and  aldermen  practically  control  the  entire 
city  government. 

The  taxation  per  capita  in  1837  was  about  1.41;  in 
1847  about  9.83.  The  highest  rate  was  in  1873, 
which  was  about  15.27. 


GRADE  OF  CHICAGO  STREETS. 

The  first  houses  erected  in  Chicago  were  built  on 
spiles  set  into  the  ground,  sufficiently  elevated  to  fix 
the  lower  floor  above  the  possibility  of  being  flooded 
by  excessive  rains.  Of  course  cellars  or  basement 
kitchens  were  not  to  be  thought  of.  Later,  when  a 
better  class  of  buildings  were  erected  as  business 
blocks,  private  grading  up  the  streets  in  front  of 
them  began  to  be  practiced,  some  of  which  grading 
may  have  been  done  by  a  street  tax  authorized  by 
the  corporation,  but  the  first  street  grade  was  not  es- 
tablished 'till  1855,  as  appears  from  the  following 
letter  from  Mr.  Moody,  Ass't  City  Clerk. 

R.  BLANCHARD, 

Wheaton,  111., 

DEAR  SIR:  I  have  looked  up  the  question  of  grades  of  the  city,  as  you  request- 
ed. I  find  the  first  ordinance  was  passed  in  March.  1855.  This  established  the 
grade  of  Lake  street  at  about  8.62.  The  present  grade  of  the  street  is  14  feet. 
My  figures  refer  to  the  plane  of  low  water  of  the  Chicago  river  in  1847  as  fixed 
by  the  canal  commissioners,  and  mean  8.62  feet  and  14  feet  above  that  level.  I 
find  several  other  streets  where  the  change  is  about  the  same.  On  the  West  Side 
the  change  is  not  so  great,  being  originally  established  at  a  higher  point.  I  es- 
timate the  change  at  about  three  feet. 

Yours  truly 
JOHN  A.  MOODY. 

The  grade  of  the  whole  city  is  now  sufficiently  a- 
bove  high  water  to  admit  of  convenient  basements, 
and  is  doubtless  established  on  a  permanent  basis, 
never  again  to  be  changed. 


ORIGINAL   LIMITS 

CITY  OF  CHICAGO 


THORNTON  Smj«i5!. 


Table  showing  List   of  Mayors,  Population,    Valuation  of 
Taxable  Property,  Amount  of  Taxes  ai^d  Public  Debts. 


Mayors. 

When  Elected. 

Popula- 
tion. 

Total 
Valuation  . 

Total  Tax. 

Public  Debt. 

William  B.  Ogden...                      .... 

May        2,  1837 
March     6,  1838 
March     5,  1839 
March     3,  1840 
March     5,  1841 
March    7,  1842 
March     7,  1843 
March     7,  1844 
March     5,  1345 
March     3,  1846 
March     2,  1847 
March     7,  1848 
March     6,  1849 
March     5,  1850 
March    4,  1851 
March     2,  1852 
March  14,1853 
March  13.1854 
March     8,  1855 
March  10,  1856 
March    3.1837 
March     2,  1858 
March    1,  1859 
Morch    6,  1860 
April     16,  1861 
April     15,  1862 
April     21,  1863 
1864 
April     18.  1865 
1866 
April     16,  1867 
1868 
Nov.        2,  1869 
1870 
Nov.        7,  1871 
1872 
Nov.       4,  1873 
1874 
1875 
July      12,  1876 
April      3,  1877 
1878 
April      1,  1879 
1880 
April      5,  1881 
1882 
April      3,  1883 
1884 
April      7,  1885 
1886 
April      5,  1887 
1888 
April      2.  1889 
1890 
April      7.  1891 
1892 
April       4,  1893 
§Xov.      4,  1893 

4,170 

$        236,842 
235,896 
94.«03 
94,437 
166,747 
151.342 
1,441,314 
2.763,281 
3,065.022 
4,521,056 
5,849,190 
6,300,440 
6,676,684 
7,222,219 
8,562,717 
10,463,414 
16,841,831 
24.392.230 
20,992,873 
31.736,084 
36,235,281 
35.991,732 
36,553,380 
37,053,512 
36,352,380 
37.139,845 
42.677.324 
48.732,782 
64,709,177 
85,953.25(1 
19S.026.844 
230,247.000 
266.920,01)0 
275,986,550 
289,746.470 
283,197,43(1 
312,072,995 
303.705,140 
tl73,764.246 
tl68,037.178 
tl48,409,148 
t!31,  981,436 
tll7.970.135 
tll7,183,643 
tl!9,151,951 
tl25,358,537 
t!32,230,504 
tl  37,326,980 
t!39,958,292 
1-158.496,132 
1-161,204,535 
t!60,641,727 

$       5,905.15 
8,849.36 
I   4,664.55 
4,721.85 
10,004.67 
9,181.27 
8,647.89 
17,166.24 
11.077.58 
15.825.80 
18,159.01 
22,051.54 
30,045.09 
25,270.87 
63,385.87 
76,948.96 
135,662.68 
499.081.64 
206,209.03 
396,652.39 
572.046.00 
430,190.00 
543,614.08 
573,315.29 
550.968.00 
564,038.06 
853,346.00 
974,665.64 
1,294,183.50 
1,719,064.05 
2,518,472.00 
3,223,457.80 
3,990.373.20 
4,262,961.45 
2,897,564.70 
4,262.961.45 
5,617,313.91 
5.466.692.54 
5,108.981.40 
4.046.805.80 
4.013,410.44 
3,778,856.80 
3,776,888.19 
3,899.126.98 
4,136,708.38 
4,227,402.98 
4.540,506.13 
4,872.456.60 
5,152,366.03 
5,368,409.76 
5,602,712.56 
5.723,067.75 

Buckner  S.  Morris 

$        9.996.54 
7,182.25 
6,559.63 
12,387.67 
16,372.01 
12,655.40 
9.796.35 
10,691.27 
16,045.41 
13.179.89 
20,339.3o 
36,333.20 
93,395 

126,035 
189,670 
248,666 
328,000 
435,000 
535,000 

B.  W  Raymond 

Alexander  Lloyd  

4,479 

Francis  C.  Sherman                   

Benjamin  W.  Raymond 

Augustus  Garrett  

7,580 

Augustus  Garrett  

12,088 
14.169 
16.859 
20,033 
23,047 
28,289 

48',666 
60,652 
75,000 
80,000 
84,113 

John  P.  Chapin  

James  Cu  rtis  

James  H.  Woodworth  

James  H.  Woodworth  

James  Curtis  

Walter  S.  Gurnee  
Walter  S.  Gurnee  

Charles  M.  Gray  

Isaac  L.  Miliken  

Lev!  D.  Boone  

Thomas  Dyer  

John  Wentworth                           

John  C.  Unities 

John  C.  Haines  
John  Wentworth  

'  'l09',2% 

1,855,000 
2,336,000 
2.362,000 
3.028,000 
3,422.500 
3,544,500 
3,701,000 
4,369.500 
4,757,500 
6,484,500 
7,882,500 
11,041,000 
14,106,000 
13,544,000 
13,478.000 
13.456.000 
13,457.000 
13.436.000 
13,364,000 
13.057.000 
13,043.000 
12.752.000 
12.752.000 
12,752,000 
12.751,500 
12,751.500 
13,698500 
12,588.500 
12.588.500 
12,561.500 

Julian  S.  Rumsey..                         

Francis  C.  Sherman  

138,186 

'  'l69'.353 
178,492 
200,418 

Francis  C.  Sherman  
Francis  C.  Sherman  

John  B.  Rice  

John  B.  Rice        

John  B.  Rice  

John  B.  Rice  

252.054 
'  30Y,605 

Roswell  B.  Mason  
lioswell  B.  Mason.       .         

Joseph  Medill  .                   

Joseph  Medill                             

367,396 
'  '395,468 

Harvey  D.  Colvin  
Harvey  D.  Colvin  

Harvey  D.  Colvin  

Monroe  Heath  

407,661 

Monroe  Heath  

Monroe  Heath  

436,731 
'  50Y.298 

Carter  H.  Harrison  
Carter  H.  Harrison  

Carter  H.  Harrison  .        ... 

Carter  H.  Harrison    .                .  . 

560,633 

Carter  H.  Harrison  

Carter  H.  Harrrison  

629,985 

Carf  er  H.   Harrison  

Carter  H.  Harrison.  .        .... 

693,861 

John  A.  Roche  

John  A.  Roche  

802,651 

uos'.iio 

I.'438,bi6 

DeWitt  C.  Cregier.  

t201.104.019 
t219,354,368 
t256,599.574 
t243  732  138 

6.326.561.21 
9,558,334.80 
10,453,270,41 
12,142.448.75 

13,554.900 
13,545,400 
13,530.350 
tl  8,515,450 
$18,426,450 

De  Witt.  C.  Cregier  

Hetnpstead  Wasjiburne  . 

Hempstead  Washburne. 

Carter  H.  Harrison  . 

1-245,790,350 

11,810,950.69 

George  B.  Swift,  pro  tern  

John  P.  Hopkins  

Dec.       19,  1898 
1894 
April       5,  1895 
1896 
April      4,  1897 
1898 

1,567,727 

1-247,425,442 

12,267,643.62 

$17,722.950 

John  P.  Hopkins  

George  B.  Swift  

1  616  635 

1243,476,825 
t244.357,286 
1-232,026,660 
1220,966,447 

14  239.685.13 
12,290,145.21 
12,939,333.10 
12,207,906.82 

$17,188.950 
$17,078,950 
$17,018,450 
$16,922,450 

George  B.  Swift  

Carter  H.  Harrison  

Carter  H.  Harrison  

1,851,588 

{Includes  World's  Fair  Bonds. 

_.     .,  _.,, s _.  the  City  of  Chicago  received   from  the 

Treasurer  of  the  Town  of  Chicago,  in  cash.  $2.814.26.  The  city  debt,  as  noted  above,  was 
compiled  from  the  annual  statements  of  1838  to  1856,  inclusive,  as  submitted  by  the  Finance 
Committee  of  those  years  to  the  Common  Council,  and  from  1857  to  1897.  inclusive,  from  the 
annual  statements  of  the  City  Comptroller.  The  above  includes  territories  lately  annexed. 
Tax  rate,  $5.59. 


Arrival  of  the  First  Vessel  At  Chicago.  19 

[From  the  Chicago  Democrat  of  July  16th,  1834.] 

ARRIVAL  OF  THE    FIRST    VESSEL    THROUGH   THE 
OPENING  AT  THE  MOUTH  OF  THE  CHICAGO  RIVER. 

"Our  citizens  were  not  a  little  delighted  on  Satur- 
day morning  last  by  a  sight  as  novel  as  it  was  beau- 
tiful. About  nine  o'clock  their  attention  was  arrested 
by  the  appearance  of  the  splendid  schooner  Illinois, 
as  she  came  gliding  up  the  river  into  the  heart  of  the 
town  under  full  sail.  The  Illinois  is  a  new  vessel  of 
nearly  one  hundred  tons,  launched  this  spring,  at 
Sackett's  Harbor,  N.  Y.,  is  a  perfect  model  of  a  schoo 
ner,  and  is  commanded  by  Captain  Pickering,  who  is 
one  of  the  most  enterprising  and  persevering  seamen 
that  navigates  the  lakes.  Her  topmast  was  covered 
with  streamers,  and  her  canvass  was  all  spread  to  in- 
vite the  gentle  breeze.  The  banks  of  the  river  were 
crowded  with  a  delightedcro  wd ,  and  as  she  reached  the 
wharf  of  Messrs.  Newberry  and  Dole,  where  she  stop- 
ped, she  was  hailed  with  loud  and  repeated  cheers. 
Her  decks  were  immediately  crowded  by  the  citizens,  all 
anxious  to  greet  her  gallant  commander  with  a  warm 
and  hearty  welcome.  The  draw-bridge  was  soon 
raised,  and  she  passed  on  to  the  upper  end  of  the 
town,  and  came  to  Ingersoll's  wharf  in  front  of  the 
Weston  Stage  House.  On  her  passage  up  the  river 
more  than  two  hundred  of  our  citizens  were  on  board. 
We  hope  we  shall  often  greet  Captain  Pickering  and 
his  brethren  of  the  lakes  in  the  harbor  of  Chicago. 

"On  Monday  night  the  schooner  Philip,  Captain 
Hone,  from  Lake  Erie,  also  entered  the  river,  and  was 
engaged  yesterday  in  discharging  her  cargo  at  the 
wharf  of  Messrs.  Newberry  and  Dole." 


2o  Flood  of  1849. 

FLOOD  OF  1849. 

In  March,  1849,  after  a  two  or  three  days 
heavy  rain,  which  had  been  preceded  by  hard  snow 
storms,  the  citizens  of  the  town  were  aroused  from 
their  slumbers  by  reports  that  the  ice  in  the  Des- 
plains  river  had  broken  up;  that  its  channel  had  be- 
come gorged  with  it;  that  this  had  so  dammed  up  its 
waters  as  to  turn  them  into  Mud  Lake;  that  in  turn, 
they  were  flowing  thence  into  the  natural  estuary, 
which  then  connected  the  sources  of  the  South  branch 
of  the  Chicago  river  with  the  Desplaines.  These  re- 
ports proved  to  be  correct.  Further,  it  was  also 
rumored  that  the  pressure  of  the  waters  was  now 
breaking  up  the  ice  in  the  South  branches;  that  the 
branch  was  becoming  gorged,  in  the  main  channel,  at 
various  points,  and  that  if  something  were  not  done, 
the  shipping,  which  had  been  tied  up  for  the  winter  a- 
long  the  wharves,  would  be  seriously  damaged. 

Of  course  each  owner,  or  person  in  charge,  at  once 
sought  the  safety  of  his  vessel,  added  additional 
moorings  to  those  already  in  use;  while  all  waited 
with  anxiety  and  trepidation  the  result  of  the  totally 
unexpected  catastrophe.  It  was  not  long  in  coming. 
The  river  soon  began  to  swell,  the  waters  lifting  the 
ice  to  within  two  or  three  feet  of  the  surface  of  the 
wharves.  Between  nine  and  ten  A.  M.  loud  reports,  as 
of  distant  artillery,  were  heard  towards  the  southern 
extremity  of  the  town,  indicating  that  the  ice  was 
breaking  up.  Soon,  to  these  were  added  the  sounds 
proceeding  from  crashing  timbers,  from  hawsers  tear- 
ing away  the  piles  around  which  they  were  vainly 
fastened,  or  snapping  like  so  much  pack-thread,  on 
account  of  the  strain  upon  them.  To  these,  in  turn, 
were  succeeded  the  cries  of  people  calling  to  the  par- 
ties in  charge  of  the  vessels  and  canal  boats  to  escape 
ere  it  would  be  too  late;  while  nearly  all  the  males, 
and  hundreds  of  the  female  population,  hurried  from 


Flood  of  1849.  21 

their  homes  to  the  banks  of  the  river  to  witness  what 
was  by  this  time  considered  to  be  inevitable,  namely, 
a  catastrophe,  such  as  the  city  never  before  sustained. 
It  was  not  long  before  every  vessel  and  canal  boat 
in  the  south  branch,  except  a  few  which  had  been  se- 
cured in  one  or  two  little  creeks,  which  then  connect- 
ed with  the  main  channel,  was  swept  with  resistless 
force  toward  the  lakes.  As  fast  as  the  channel  at 
one  spot  became  crowded  with  ice,  und  vessels  inter 
mingled,  the  whole  mass  would  dam  up  the  water, 
which,  rising  in  the  rear  of  the  obstruction,  would 
propel  vessels  and  ice  forward  with  the  force  of  an  e- 
normous  catapult.  Every  lightly  constructed  vessel 
would  at  once  be  crushed  as  if  it  were  an  egg-shell; 
canal-boats  disappeared  from  sight  under  the  gorge 
of  ships  and  ice,  and  came  into  view  below  it  in  small 
pieces,  strewing  the  surface  of  the  boiling  water. 

At  length  a  number  of  vessels  were  violently  precip- 
itated against  Randolph  street  bridge,  then  a  com- 
paratively frail  structure,  and  it  was  torn  from 
its  place  in  a  few  seconds,  forcing  its  way  into  the 
main  channel  of  the  river.  The  gorge  of  natural  and 
artificial  materials — of  ice  and  wood  and  iron — kept 
on  its  resistless  way  to  the  principal  and  last  remain- 
ing bridge  in  the  city,  on  Clark  St.  This  structure 
had  been  constructed  on  piles,  and  it  was  supposed 
would  prevent  the  vessels  already  caught  up  by  the 
ice  from  being  swept  out  into  the  lake. 

But  the  momentum  already  attained  by  the  great 
mass  of  ice,  which  had  even  lifted  some  of  the  vessels 
bodily  out  of  the  water,  was  too  great  for  any  ordi- 
nary structure  of  wood,  or  even  stone  or  iron  to  re- 
sist, and  the  moment  this  accumulated  material 
struck  the  bridge,  it  was  swept  to  utter  destruction, 
and  with  a  crash,  the  noise  of  which  could  be  heard 
all  over  the  then  city,  while  the  ice  below  it  broke  up 
with  reports  as  if  from  a  whole  park  of  artillery. 
The  scene  just  below  the  bridge,  after  the  material 


22  Flood  of  1849. 

composing  the  gorge  had  swept  by  the  place  just  oc- 
cupied by  the  structure,  was  something  that  bordered 
on  the  terrific. 

The  cries  and  shouts  of  the  people,  the  crash  of  tim- 
bers, the  toppling  over  of  tall  masts,  which  were  in 
many  cases,  broken  short  off  on  a  level  with  the  decks 
of  the  vessels,  and  the  appearance  of  the  crowds  flee- 
ing terror-stricken  from  the  scene  through  Clark  and 
Dearborn  streets,  were  sounds  and  sights  never  to  be 
forgotten  by  those  who  witnessed  them.  At  State 
street,  where  the  river  bends,  the  mass  of  material 
was  again  brought  to  a  stand,  the  ice  below  resisting 
the  accumulated  pressure,  and  the  large  number  of 
vessels  in  the  ruck,  most  of  which  were  of  the  best 
class,  the  poorer  ones  having  previously  been  utterly 
destroyed,  helping  to  hold  the  whole  together.  In 
the  meantime  several  canal  boats,  and  in  one  in: 
stance  a  schooner  with  rigging  all  standing,  were 
swept  under  this  instantaneously  constructed  bridge, 
coming  out  on  the  eastern  side  thereof  in  shapeless 
massesof  wreck,  in  the  instance  of  the  schooner,  and 
of  matchwood  in  the  instances  of  canal  boats.  Pres- 
ently the  ice  below  this  last  gorge  began  to  give  way, 
clear  water  appearing,  while  a  view  out  into  the  lake 
showed  that  there  was  no  ice  to  be  seen.  It  was 
then  that  some  bold  fellows  armed  with  axes,  sprang 
upon  the  vessels,  thus  jammed  together,  and  in  dan- 
ger of  destruction. 

Among  the  foremost  and  most  fearless  were:  K.  C. 
Bristol,  of  the  forwarding  house  of  Bristol  &  Porter; 
Alvin  Calhoun,  a  builder,  brother  to  John  Calhoun, 
founder  of  the  Chicago  Democrat  newspaper,  and  fa- 
ther of  Mrs.  Joseph  K.  C.  Forrest,  Cyrus  P.  Bradley, 
subsequently  Sheriff,  and  Chief  of  Police,  and  Darius 
Knights,  still  an  employe  of  the  city.  These  gentle- 
men, at  the  risk  of  their  lives  succeeded  in  detaching 
the  vessels  at  the  Eastern  end  of  the  gorge,  one  by 
one,  from  the  ruck,  until  finally  some  ten  or  twelve 


Flood  of  1849.  23 

large  ships,  relieved  from  their  dangerous  positions, 
floated  out  into  the  lake,  their  preservers  proudly 
standing  on  their  decks,  and  returning  with  salutes, 
the  cheers  of  the  crowd  on  shore.  Once  in  the  lake, 
the  vessels  were  secured,  in  some  cases  by  dropping 
the  anchors,  and  in  others  by  being  brought  up  at 
the  piers  by  the  aid  of  hawsers. 

The  .Democrat  of  the  14th,  in  its  record  of  the  event, 
says  (speaking  of  the  upper  jam):  "Below  all  this 
lies  another  more  solid  dam,  composed  of  larger  ves- 
sels, and  consequently  stronger  material,  wedged  in 
so  firmly  as  to  defy  extraction.  ******* 
Thus  is  formed  one  of  the  most  costly  bridges  ever 
constructed  in  the  West,  and  the  only  one  Chicago 
now  boasts  of.  Crowds  of  persons  were  at  the  wrecks 
yesterday,  and  crowded  the  decks  of  the  various  ves- 
sels. Many  ladies  were  not  afraid  to  venture  over 
this  novel  causeway,  beneath  which  the  water  roared, 
falling  in  cascades  from  one  obstruction  to  another, 
the  whole  forming  perhaps  the  most  exciting  scene 
ever  witnessed  here." 

The  Journal  of  the  same  date  gives  the  following: 
"The  Eandolph  street  bridge  and  the  schooner  Mah- 
ala  sunk  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  yesterday  togeth- 
er. *  *  The  schooner  Diamond,  which  was  carried 
down  the  river  yesterday,  upon  reaching  the  vessels 
wedged  in  near  the  lighthouse,  was  forced  by  the  cur- 
rent completely  under  them,  and  came  up  on  the  oth- 
er side.  She  was  not  badly  broken,  and  now  lies  bot- 
tom up  between  the  piers.  There  were  a  number  of 
persons  on  the  canal  boats  which  were  swept  into 
the  lake.  One  poor  fellow  waved  his  handkerchief 
as  a  signal  of  distress,  about  ten  miles  out,  during 
the  afternoon,  but  there  was  no  boat  which  could  be 
sent  to  his  assistance.  *  *  *  No  mails  left  the  city 
last  night.  All  egress  is  prevented  by  high  water  and 
impassible  state  of  the  roads. 


24  History  of  the  River  lunrwls  of  Chicago 

HISTORY  OF  THE  RIVER  TUNNELS  OF  CHICAGO. 

BY  E.  S.  CHESEBROUGH. 

WASHING  TON  STREET  RIVER  TUNNEL . 

The  first  bridges  across  the  Chicago  River  and  its  bran- 
ches were  floating  structures,  popularly  known  as  "tub 
bridges,"  which,  when  closed,  did  not  allow  the  passage 
of  vessels  of  any  size.  The  next  kind  were  similar  to  the 
present,  turning  on  their  centers,  but  placed  so  low 
as  scarcely  to  allow  a  canal-boat  to  pass  under  them, 
and  had  to  be  opened  for  every  tug  or  larger  vessel. 
As  the  commerce  of  the  city  increased,  the  crossing  of 
the  river  was  more  and  more  frequently  interrupted, 
but  the  rights  of  navigation  being  considered  then 
paramount  to  all  others  on  the  river,  vessels  could 
not  be  detained  at  all  by  the  bridges,  no  matter  how 
great  the  inconvenience  to  land  travel  or  transportat- 
ion. At  length,  after  a  few  bridges  had  been  built 
more  elevated  above  the  water  than  the  first,  an  or- 
dinance was  passed  requiring  the  tugs  to  lower  their 
chimneys  in  passing  them  when  they  had  no  ves- 
sel in  tow.  This  ordinance  met  with  great  opposition 
from  tug-masters  at  first,  so  that  for  a  day  or  two 
they  refused  to  tow  any  vessels  in  or  out  of  the  river. 
But  soon  this  reasonable  requirement  was  acquiesced 
in,  and  consequently  much  relief  was  afforded  to  the 
passage  of  vehicles  across  the  river.  Notwithstand- 
ing this  relief,  however,  the  views  which  then  obtained 
with  regard  to  the  unlawfulness  of  detaining  vessels 
at  all  at  the  bridges,  and  the  constantly  increasing 
demands  of  commerce — both  on  the  water  and  the 
land — seemed  to  make  it  imperative  that  one  or  more 
tunnels,  for  the  passage  of  vehicles,  should  be  con- 
structed under  the  river. 

Among  the  earliest  efforts  for  tunneling  u  nder  the  ri  v- 
er  was  that  of  a  company  formed  in  1853,  at  the  head 
of  which  was  Hon.  Win.  B.Ogden.  Messrs.  Wm.  Good- 


History  ofthv  River  luntiels  of  Chicago.  25 

ing,  Ed.  F.  Tracy  and  Thos.  C.  Clarke  proposed  plans 
for  the  work;  Mr.  Clarke's  was,  for  a  structure  princi- 
pally of  wrought  iron,  which  it  was  understood  the 
company  thought  most  favorably  of,  but  no  decided 
steps  toward  the  carrying  out  of  any  plan  were  taken 
at  first.  A  fterwards  the  elevation  of  the  bridges, 
and  the  ordinance  with  regard  to  the  tugs,  having 
afforded  so  much  relief  to  land  travel,  it  was  serious- 
ly doubted  if  any  company  could  obtain  a  sufficient 
revenue  to  justify  the  construction  of  a  tunnel  under 
the  river.  Between  the  spring  of  1864  and  that  of 
1866,  various  projects  were  presented  to  the  City 
Council,  a  nd  most  of  them  were  referred  to  the  Board  of 
Public  Works.  A  member  of  this  Board,  himself  an  en- 
gineer— Mr.  J.  J.  Gindele— submitted  a  plan,  which  was 
referred  to  the  City  Engineer,  with  instructions  to  con- 
fer with  other  engineers  on  the  subject,  and  report  to  the 
Board  his  views  with  regard  to  the  best  plan  to  be 
adopted.  The  City  Engineer,  after  careful  investi- 
gation of  various  projects,  recommended  a  plan 
which  was  substantially  Mr.  Gindele's,  adding  to  it 
a  stronger  roof  and  the  sub-tunnel  for  safer  drainage. 
The  Board  adopted  this  plan  and  proceeded  to  let 
the  work,  all  necessary  ordinances  having  been  pre- 
viously passed  by  the  City  Council,  which  had,  after 
much  discussion,  fixed  upon  Washington  Street  for 
the  site. 

The  plan  of  this  structure  includes  open  approach- 
es at  each  end,  two  driveways  and  one  footway 
under  the  river,  and  between  the  driveways  and  each 
open  approach  a  large  single  archway  or  covered 
approach,  which,  togetherwiththe  open  approaches, 
are  only  for  driveways,  The  footway  out  has  entire- 
ly separate  entrances,  by  means  of  a  steep  incline  and 
stairway,  near  to  and  on  each  side  of  the  river.  The 
double  arches  under  the  river  were  adopted  for  safety, 
economy,  and  ease  of  grade.  They  are  each  11  feet 
wide  and  15  feet  high,  *  with  perpendicular  sides. 

*  Above  invert,  or  13  feet  above  pavement. 


26  History  of  the  River  Tunnels  of  Chicago. 

The  upper  have  three  centres,  and  the  inverts  are  seg- 
ments of  10  feet  radius.  The  covered  approach  on 
each  side  of  the  river  is  contracted  in  the  first  40  feet 
from  the  double-arched  driveway,  from  a  width  of 
23%  feet,  and  height  of  20%  feet,  to  19%  feet  width 
and  18  feet  10  inches  in  height,  and  continues  so  to 
the  open  approach.  The  footway  is  elevated  under 
the  middle  of  the  river  5  feet  above  the  driveway . 
It  is  10  feet  wide  and  10  feet  10  inches  high,f  and 
otherwise  shaped  like  the  driveways.  The  thickness 
of  the  perpendicular  wall  or  pier  between  the  drive- 
ways is  2  feet;  also  that  between  the  south  driveway 
and  the  footway.  The  river  section  is  22^  feet  long. 
The  upper  arches,  inverts,  piers  and  facings  of  abut- 
ments are  all  of  brick-work  laid  in  cement.  The 
backs  of  the  abutments  are  of  rubble,  laid  in  cement. 
The  foundations  are  all  of  concrete.  The  abutments 
under  the  river  a,re  7  feet  thick.  The  arches  and  in- 
verts there  are  22  inches  thick.  The  spandrels  of  the 
upper  arches  are  formed  of  rubble  masonry,  which  is 
brought  to  a  smooth  upper  surface,  then  coated  with 
common  lime  mortar,  and  then  covered  with  a  coat- 
ing of  asphalt  mastic,  made  according  to  rules  observ- 
ed by  the  United  States  engineers  in  covering  case- 
ments. Over  the  mastic  another  layer  of  lime  mor- 
tar, and  then  a  flagging  course  of  limestone  10  inches 
thick,  was  laid  to  prevent  the  dragging  of  anchors 
from  injuring  the  masonry  of  the  upper  arches.  This 
work  was  intended  to  be  so  strong,  that  if  a  vessel 
loaded  with  iron  should  sink  upon  the  tunnel,  the 
structure  would  not  give  way. 

The  arches  of  the  covered  approaches  each  side  of 
the  river  are  30  inches  thick  on  the  sides  a^d  22  in- 
ches on  top.  The  abutments  of  these  arches  are  7 
feet  2  inches  thick  at  their  bottoms,  and  diminished 
by  steps  upwards  to  6  feet  7  inches.  The  invert  is  18 
inches  thick  ordinarily,  22  inches  under  the  widest 

t  Above  invert,  or  8  feet  above  plank  walk. 


History  of  the  River  Tunnels  of  Chicago.  27 

part.  The  upper  portion  of  these  arches  was  covered 
with  a  coating  of  mastic,  less  costly,  and  less  carefully 
laid  on  than  that  under  the  river.  The  east  covered 
approach  is  310  feet  long,  and  the  west  covered  ap- 
proach is  402  feet  long. 

At  the  joining  of  the  river  portion  of  the  tunnel  on 
each  side  with  the  covered  approaches,  solid  stone 
dock  walls  were  run  up  to  8  feet  above  low  water, 
and  placed  on  lines  that  had  been  previously  estab- 
lished for  a  comprehensive  plan  of  widening  and 
straightening  the  Chicago  River  and  its  branches. 
The  estimated  cost  of  this  much-needed  widening,  and 
the  difficulty  of  determining  who  should  pay  for  it, 
have  been  so  great  as  to  prevent  it  from  being  carried 
out  thus  far,  and  the  general  desire  for  it  seems  to 
have  diminished  very  much. 

The  retaining  walls,  on  each  side  of  the  open  ap- 
proaches, vary  in  thickness,  at  the  base  from  8%  to  4 
feet,  and  are  everywhere  on  top  2  feet  thick.  Their 
faces  are  perpendicular  and  their  backs  are  stepped 
up.  The  tops  of  these  walls,  and  of  the  cross  walls 
connecting  them  at  the  entrance  to  the  covered  ap- 
proach, are  covered  with  neat  coping,  which  is  sur- 
mounted by  a  strong  iron  railing.  These  walls  are 
of  neat  coursed  rubble  masonry,  laid  in  cement.  The 
east  open  approach  is  272  feet  long,  and  the  west  320 
feet,  the  total  length  of  masonry  in  the  tunnel  being 
1,526  feet. 

The  roadway  has  a  grade  of  1  in  16  between  Frank- 
lin Street  and  the  commencement  of  the  double  drive- 
way; then  1  in  42.86  to  the  centre  of  the  river,  the 
same  between  that  and  the  commencement  of  the 
west  covered  approach;  then  1  in  18.63  to  Clinton 
street,  the  entire  length  being  1,608  feet.  This  road- 
way, thus  far,  has  always  been  paved  with  wooden 
blocks,  except  a  small  portion,  recently,  under  the 
river,  where  the  blocks  have  been  worn  out  in  the 
ruts  very  rapidly,  never  keeping  in  order  over  two 


28  'History  of  the  River  Tunnels  of  Chicago. 

years  after  being  laid. 

The  footway  has  a  grade  of  1  in  1 1.31  on  the  east 
side  of  the  centre  of  the  river  to  near  the  entrance 
house,  where  there  is  a  level  platform,  then  two  flights 
of  steps  up  to  the  surface  on  the  east  side  of  Market 
street.  The  grade  west  of  the  centre  of  the  river  is  1 
in  12.08,  with  an  entrance  house  and  flights  of  steps 
on  the  east  side  of  Canal  street,  similar  to  those  at 
the  other  end  on  Market  street.* 

The  work  was  first  let  to  contractors,  whose  inex- 
perience led  to  a  failure  and  re-letting.  It  was  com- 
menced the  second  time  July  25,  1867,  by  Messrs.  J. 
K.  Lake,  Chas.  B.  Farwell,  and  J.  Clark.  Mr.  Clark 
afterwards  withdrew,  and  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  A.  A. 
McDonnell.  A  formal  opening  of  the  tunnel  by  the 
Hon.  J.  B.  Kice,  then  Mayor,  took  place  Jan.  1, 1869, 
The  entire  cost  of  the  work  to  the  city,  including  all 
preliminary  expenses,  up  to  Oct.  31,  1869,  was  $512, 
707.57. 

Notwithstanding  the  pains  and  expense  taken  to 
make  this  work  tight,  it  leaked  considerably  at  first 
under  the  river,  and  in  very  cold  weather  became  so 
blocked  with  ice  as  to  be  dangerous  unless  frequently 
cleared  out.  That  leakage  has  very  much  diminished , 
and  is  not  one-tenth  as  much  now  as  at  first.  The 
leakage  and  frost  affected  the  piers  between  the  river 
arches  so  much  as  to  make  it  necessary  to  renew  port- 
ions of  them  about  three  years  ago. 

Actual  experience  in  the  use  of  this  tunnel  by  the 
public  shows  that  the  passage  of  heavily  loaded  teams 

*There  is,  from  the  centre  of  the  river  section  and  under  the  north  driveway, 
a  sub  or  drainage  tunnel  5  feet  in  diameter,  leading  to  a  pumping  well  on  the 
east  side  of  the  river,  where  there  is  a  steam  engine  and  pump. 

The  pier  between  the  driveways  under  the  river  has  eleven  openings,  3  feet 
wide,  for  the  passage  of  policemen  and  workmen.  Similar  passageways  were 
made  through  the  pier  between  the  south  driveway  and  the  footway,  supposing 
they  might  sometimes  be  of  great  service  to  the  police,  in  case  of  attempts  at 
robbery  or  violence,  which  were  apprended  by  some,  but  these  last  mentioned 
passageways  proved  greater  nuisances  than  benefits,  and  are  practically  closed. 
Robbery  and  violence,  in  the  tunnel,  occur  no  oftener,  it  is  believed,  than  else- 
where. 


History  of  the  River  Tunnels  of  Chicago.  29 

through  it  is  very  small.  This  is  not  surprising  when 
it  is  remembered  that  the  total  ascent  from  under  the 
river  to  Franklin  or  Clinton  street  is  40  feet,  while 
the  total  ascent,  with  no  steeper  grades,  to  either  the 
Randolph  or  Madison  street  bridge,  is  only  8  feet. 
While  it  is  possible  for  horses  drawing  heavy  loads  to 
pass  over  the  short  ascent  by  making  strong  efforts, 
it  is  impossible  for  them  to  overcome  the  long  ones 
without  frequent  stops;  hence  they  prefer  to  wait  a 
few,  and  generally  but  a  very  few,  minutes  for  a 
bridge  to  close.  For  the  passage  of  light  vehicles, 
this  tunnel  is  considerably  used,  but  not  nearly  so 
much  as  was  originally  expected,  except  when  repairs 
became  necessary  to  the  bridges,  or  stoppages  of  ves- 
sels occur.  With  regard  to  foot  passengers,  many 
use  the  tunnel,  but  compared  with  those  who  cross 
at  the  bridges,  the  number  is  very  small.  WThile 
navigation  is  closed  in  the  winter,  very  little  use  is 
made  of  the  tunnel,  except  by  those  who  drive  rapid- 
ly in  light  vehicles,  and  do  not  wish  to  be  hindred  by 
horse-cars  at  the  bridges.  The  footwray  is  sometimes 
preferred  to  the  bridges  in  summer  on  account  of  its 
POO!  shade,  and  in  winter  because  of  its  protection 
from  freezing  winds.  The  footway  has  to  be  lighted 
by  day  as  well  as  by  night.  The  driveways  require 
much  less  artificial  light  by  day  than  by  night. 
LASALLE  STREET  RIVER  TUNNEL. 

This  structure  is  in  most  respects  so  similar  to  the 
one  on  Washington  street,  that  only  the  differences 
will  be  mentioned.  The  total  length  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  south  open  approach,  a  short  distance 
north  of  Randolph  street,  to  Michigan  street,  is  1,854 
feet;  the  south  open  approach  is  320  feet  long,  the 
south  covered  approach  510  feet,  the  river  section 
276  feet,  the  north  covered  approach  530  feet,  and 
the  north  open  approach  218  feet.  The  footway  is 
2  feet  higher  than  that  of  the  Washington  street  tun- 


30  History  of  the  River  Tunnels  of  Chicago. 

nel,  which  is  a  decided  improvement.  It  is  east  of  the 
driveways  and  has  been  utilized  for  the  laying  of  the 
36-inch  water  main,  from  the  north  pumping  works, 
under  the  river.  This  main  has  been  placed  under 
the  plank  floor  of  the  footway.  This  tunnel, 
as  well  as  that  on  Washington  street,  has  a  great 
number  of  telegraph  wires  laid  through  it.  The  steep- 
est grade  in  the  driveways  is  1  in  20,  and  in  the  foot- 
way 1  in  14%.  In  order  to  avoid  a  steeper  grade  than 
1  in  20  on  the  north  open  approach,  and  yet  not 
make  this  approach  extend  north  of  Michigan  street, 
and  at  the  same  time  not  interfere  with  the  grade  of 
Kinzie  street,  it  was  necessary  to  construct  under 
this  street  girder-work  with  flat  brick  arches. 

The  greatest  difference  between  this  and  the  Wash- 
ington street  tunnel  is  in  the  much  freer  use  of  asphalt, 
the  two  upper  shells  or  courses  of  brick  in  the  arches 
under  the  river  being  laid  in  it  instead  of  in  cement, 
with  a  most  satisfactory  result.  On  the  faces  of  the 
abutments,  under  the  river,  where  no  asphalt  was 
used,  there  is  considerable  moisture,  but  no  dripping. 

The  entire  original  cost  of  this  tunnel,  including 
damages,  was  $566,276.48.  The  city  was  sued  for 
damages  to  property  by  the  south  open  approach, 
but  the  courts  decided  the  city  was  not  liable.* 

*The  contractors  were  Messrs.  Robert  E.  Moss,  George  Chambers  and  Archi- 
bald I.  McBean. 

Mr.  Wm.  Bryson,  assistant  of  the  City  Engineer,  had  the  immediate  charge 
of  this  and  the  Washington  Street  river  tunnel,  and  afterwards  of  the  new  lake 
tunnel  and  its  extension  westward. 


The  West   Chicago  Street  Railroad  Tunnel.  31 

THE   WEST  CHICAGO  STREET  RAILROAD  TUNNEL, 

UNDER  THE   CHICAGO   RIVER,    NEAR 

VANBUREN   STREET. 

CONDENSED  FROM  A  REPORT  OF  CHARLES  V.  WESTON, 

ENGINEER-IN-CHARGE. 

• 

The  accumulation  of  travel  from  the  North  and  the 
West  divisions  of  Chicago  to  its  business  centre  in  the 
South  division  grew  rapidly,  as  the  business  of  the 
city  increased.  To  accommodate  these  conditions  var- 
ious plans  were  suggested.  The  travel  over  the  brid- 
ges interrupted,  as  it  was,  by  the  opening  of  them  for 
commercial  traffic  made  it  necessary  to  tunnel  the 
river,  as  a  measure  of  relief.  First,  the  LaSalle  St. 
tunnel  was  built  and  next  the  Washington  Street  tun- 
nel, through  both  of  which  the  Cable  cars  were  allow- 
ed to  lay  their  tracks,  but  these  did  not  suffice  to  a- 
fford  transportation  for  the  persons  wishing  to  go  to 
and  from  their  homes  to  the  business  centre  morning 
and  evening;  therefore  it  was  imperative  to  construct 
another  tunnel  wherewith  to  fulfill  the  purposes  for 
which  the  first  two  had  been  built.  This  tunnel  was 
exclusively  a  private  enterprise  to  fulfill  the  mission 
of  the  system  of  the  cable  street  car  lines.  The  en- 
trance of  the  tunnel  was  located  upon  private  proper- 
ty between  south  VanBuren  and  Jackson  street;  pass- 
ing under  the  Chicago  river,  under  several  large  build- 
ings, and  under  the  yards  and  tracks  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania R.  R.  Company  near  the  Passenger  Station  of 
the  Union  Depot  Canal  Street. 

Feb.  6th,  1890  active  construction  was  begun  by  cof- 
fer-damming the  river  from  the  west  side  to  its  centre 

The  depth  of  the  river  at  the  side  of  the  dam  was  20 
feet  which  made  it  a  work  of  great  care  and  expense, 
so  great  was  the  lateral  pressure  of  the  water.  This 
half  being  completed  the  coffer-dam  was  removed  so 
as  to  permit  free  navigation  along  the  river  where  the 


32  Ihe  West  Chicago  Street  Railroad  Tunnel. 

other  half  of  the  tunnel  was  being  built,  by  a  similar 
process.  Contractors  for  this  tunnel  had  to  become 
responsible  for  the  safety  and  security  of  allbuildings* 
adjacent  to  the  excavations,  necessary  for  the  ap- 
proaches to  the  tunnel  proper,  immediately  under 
the  river. 

In  this  responsibility  it  was  optional,  to  either  tear 
down  the  buildings  and  make  new  foundations  forthcm 
when  the  tunnel  was  completed,  or  construct  safe  foun- 
dations for  them  by  means  of  pilings,  during  the  pro- 
gress of  the  work,  of  course,  remunerating  owners  of 
said  buildings,  in  either  case. 

On  account  of  protracted  litigation  between  the 
Tunnel  Company  and  the  various  property  owners  a- 
long  the  line  of  the  tunnel,  it  was  impossible  to  pro- 
secute the  work  continously  from  any  given  point, 
but  the  entire  tunnel  and  the  approaches  thereto  were 
constructed  in  several  sections,  often  remote  from 
each  other.  The  section  in  the  west  half  of  the  river 
and  one  hundred  feet  inland  was  first  constructed; 
then  the  east  approach  from  the  west  building  line  of 
Franklin  Street  westwardly  one  hundred  and  forty 
feet  was  completed.  Then  followed  the  simultaneous 
construction  of  the  section  under  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  yards,  and  that  between  the  east  dock  line 
and  the  center  of  Market  Street.  The  completion  of 
these  two  sections  was  followed  by  the  construction 
of  the  river  section,  in  the  east  half  of  the  river,  which 
connected  the  sections  previously  constructed,  mak- 
ing the  completed  work  continous  from  the  center  of 
Market  Street,  east  of  the  river,  to  the  east  curb  wall 
in  Canal  Street,  west  of  the  river.  Then  followed  the 
construction  of  the  portion  from  the  center  of  Mark- 
et Street  eastward,  to  join  the  portion  of  the  open 
approach  which  had  been  built  westward  from  the 
west  line  of  Franklin  Street.  The  last  section,  which 
included  the  arch  under  Canal  Street,  and  the  entire 
west  approach  and  portal,  was  then  built,  complet- 


7he   West  Chicago  Street  Railroad  Tunml.  33 

ing  the  entire  work.  The  time  covered  by  construc- 
tion and  delays  was  a  little  more  than  four  years,  or 
two  years  more  than  the  time  originally  contemplat- 
ed. 

Although  the  tunnel  and  approaches  were  built  in 
this  fragmentary  manner,  the  joinings  were  perfect  in 
alignment  and  grade,  and  no  unequal  settlement  or 
deviation  from  the  true  section  can  be  detected  in  the 
several  joinings.  This  result,  in  a  large  measure,  is 
due  to  the  great  strength  of  the  centers,  and  to  the 
fact  that  they  were  left  under  the  completed  arch  with 
a  sufficient  time  for  the  mortar  to  become  thorough- 
ly set  before  striking.  The  last  section  of  the  arch 
built  was  the  only  case  where  the  centering  was  re- 
moved soon  after  keying.  The  centers  in  this  section 
were  struck  within  twenty  days  after  the  arch  was 
keyed;  but  there  was  no  deviation  from  a  true  arch. 
As  soon  as  practicable  after  any  portion  of  the  mason- 
ry of  the  tunnel  was  built,  the  trench  over  it  was  filled 
up  in  uniform  layers,  and  the  filling  was  rammed  tho- 
roughly in  place  to  bring  the  surf  ace  to  its  pro  per  level. 

The  tunnel  is  drained  by  means  of  a  12-inch  pipe,  laid 
on  the  invert,  along  the  center  line  of  the  tunnel  and 
its  approaches,  with  brick  man-holes  for  cleaning,  a- 
bout  200  feet  apart.  There  are  also  (in  the  land  sec- 
tions only)  vertical  lines  of  drain-pipe  back  of  the 
side  walls.  These  vertical  drains  are  4  inches  in  dia- 
meter and  about  50  feet  apart.  They  are  connected 
with  the  main  drain,  in  the  tunnel,  by  means  of  4-inch 
cast-iron  pipes.  The  cable  tubes  of  the  railways  are 
connected  with  the  main  drain  by  short  pipes,  laid  at 
intervals  of  32  feet.  All  man-holes  and  wheel  pits,in 
the  cable  tracks,  are  also  connected  with  this  main 
drain  which  discharges  into  a  sump  at  the  lowest  part 
of  the  tunnel,  near  the  center  of  the  river.  The  sump 
is  connected  by  a  20-inch  drain  pipe  with  sump-well 
at  the  north  side  of  the  tunnel,  just  east  of  the  dock 
line,  where  a  brick  shaft  6  feet  in  diameter,  reaching 


34  Water  Supply  of  Chicago. 

to  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  occupying  a  recess 
formed  in  the  side  wall  of  the  tunnel,  contains  a  drain- 
age pump  which  raises  the  water  and  discharges  it  in- 
to the  river  above. 

This  tunnel  cost  $800,000  for  actual  construction, 
and  |1,000,000  for  property  along  the  line  and  for 
legal  expenses. 

The  contractors  for  the  construction  were  Fitzsimons 
and  Connell  Company,  and  sub-let  by  themtoMessers. 
Joseph  Downey  &  Co.;  the  latter  firm  being  composed 
of  Mr.  Joseph  Downey  and  General  Charles  Fitzsimons, 
of  the  Fitzsimons  &  Connel  Company.  These  gen- 
tlemen had  a  great  many  difficulties  to  overcome,  and 
met  them  with  great  courage  and  fortitude. 


WATER  SUPPLY  OF  CHICAGO. 

TAKEN  FROM  COLBERT' S-HISTORY  OF  CHICAGO. 

To  supply  the  people  of  this  fast  growing  city  with 
water  of  sufficient  puritj7  and  in  ample  quantity,  was 
a  long  vexed  problem.  In  the  days  of  the  village  and 
town  the  needed  supply  was  drawn  directly  from  the 
river,  then  unpolluted  by  the  sewerage  of  a  city,  or 
taken  from  the  lake.  The  latter  was  the  principal 
source  of  supply  after  the  township  organization, 
when  one  of  the  citizens,  whose  name  is  not  preserved, 
found  it  profitable  to  peddle  water  around  the  streets 
at  so  much  per  bucket  full.  In  1836,  the  year  before 
the  incorporation  of  the  city,  the  State  Legislature 
passed  a  law  incorporating  the  "Chicago  Hydraulic 
Company."  The  incorporators  named  in  the  bill  were 
James  H.  Campbell,  Gholsen  Kercheval,  R.  A.  Kinzie, 
R.  J.  Hamilton,  H.  G.  Hubbard,  David  Hunter,  Peter 
Cohen, E.W.Casey,  G. S. Hubbard,  G.  W.  Dole,  J.  H. 
Kinzie,  W.  Forsythe,  and  S.  Wells.  The  capital  stock 
was  limited  to  $250,000.  The  water  carts  had  it  all 
their  own  way,  however,  for  four  years  longer.  Owing 
to  financial  difficulties  following  the  panic  of  183 7  the 


Wafer  Supply  of  Chicago.  35 

company  was  not  formed  till  1839.  It  commenced 
operations  in  1840.  The  company  built  a  reservoir 
at  the  corner  of  Lake  street  and  Michigan  avenue  on 
the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  Adams  House, 
twenty-five  feet  square  and  eight  feet  deep,  elevated 
about  eighty  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and 
erected  a  pump  connecting  it  by  an  iron  pipe  with  the 
Lake,  laid  on  a  crib -work  pier,  running  into  the  lake 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  This  pump  was 
worked  by  a  steam  engine  of  twenty-five  horse  power. 
The  water  was  distributed  to  the  citizens  through  logs 
bored  at  the  "works,"  five  inches  for  the  main  lines 
arid  three  inches  for  the  subordinate  ones.  In  1842 
James  Long  entered  into  arrangements  with  the 
Hydraulic  Company  to  do  all  the  pumping  for  the  sup- 
ply of  the  city  with  water  for  ten  years,  without  cost 
to  the  company,  in  consideration  of  the  free  use  of 
the  surplus  power  of  their  twenty-five  horse  power 
engine.  In  a  letter  read  at  the  formal  opening  of  the 
lake  tunnel,  Mr.  Long  thus  refers  to  the  difficulties  of 
the  primitive  situation:  "In  winter  the  pipes  on  the 
pier  would  be  disarranged  by  the  heaving  of  the  frost, 
and  I  had  frequently  to  spend  hours  at  a  time  to  caulk 
up  the  joint  by  throwing  on  water  and  thus  freezing 
up  the  cracks  before  we  could  make  the  pump  avail- 
able. When  the  end  of  this  pipe  from  the  pier  was 
first  put  down  it  was  three  or  four  feet  below  the  sur- 
face of  the  lake,  but  in  1842-3  the  lake  had  receded  so 
far  as  frequently  to  leave  the  end  out  of  water,  par- 
ticulary  when  the  wind  blew  from  the  south."  But  it 
was  soon  found  that  a  large  extension  was  needed. 
Long  before  the  above  named  contract  had  expired 
the  twenty-five  horse  power  engine  had  become  too 
small  even  without  doing  the  extra  work  expected  of 
it.  On  the  15  day  of  February,  1851,  an  act  passed 
by  the  Legislature  was  approved  by  the  executive  of 
the  State,  giving  existence  to  the  Chicago  City  Hy- 
draulic Company,  and  John  B.  Turner,  A.  S.  Sherman, 


36  Water  Supply  of  Chicago. 

and  H.  G.  Loomis,were  appointed  to  constitute  the 
first  Board  of  Water  Commissioners.  They  entered  on 
the  duties  of  their  office  on  the  16th  day  of  June  fol- 
lowing Ten  days  later  the  Board  employed  William.  J. 
McAlpine,  an  engineer  of  considerable  reputation  in 
those  days,  to  make  the  necessary  surveys  for  the 
works,  and  to  report,  with  plans,  for  the  purpose  of 
enabling  the  Commissioners  to  carry  the  act  into  exe- 
cution. On  the  24th  day  of  October  he  submitted  a 
plan  which  was  subsequently  adopted.  It  was  based 
on  the  estimate  that  at  the  expiration  of  fifteen  years 
the  population  of  the  city  would  be  one  hundred  thou- 
sand souls.  This  calculation  was  thought,by  very 
many,  to  be  an  extravagant  one;  but  at  the  end  of 
the  time  mentioned,  October,  1866,  the  population 
was  more  than  double  that  amount.  The  estimated 
cost  of  the  works  was  about  $335,500.  The  annual 
expense  of  running  them  was  estimated  at  $  18,000. 

In  April  and  August,  1852,  two  loans  were  effected 
with  Messrs.  Duncan,  Sherma  n  &  Co.,  of  New  York, 
bonds  being  issued  to  the  amount  of  four  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of  six 
per  cent  per  annum,  and  twenty  five  years  to  run. 

The  not  amount  realized  from  the  sale  of  the  bonds 
was  f  361, 280.  The  work  was  almost  immediately 
commenced,  but  the  Board  were  very  much  impeded 
in  their  movements  by  an  injunction  issued  at  the  in- 
stance of  the  Hydraulic  Company.  A  committee  of 
the  Common  Council  had,  during  the  preceding  March, 
recommended  that  the  city  pay  to  the  compa  113*  thirty 
thousand  dollars  for  its  property  and  franchises,  or 
fifteen  thousand  dollars  for  the  franchise  alone,  but 
the  company  never  intimated  its  willingness  to  accept 
the  offer,  and  stood  out  resolutely  to  withstand  any 
encroachments  upon  what  had  been  heretofore  an  ex- 
clusive privlege.  The  difficulty  was  subsequently  ar- 
ranged to  the  satisfaction  of  both  parties.  The  work 
wa«  proceeded  with  as  rapid  as  the  limited  facilities  of 


Water    Supply  of  Chicago.  37 

that  period  allowed.    The  following  is  a  brief  sketch 
of  the  works  as  originally  built:     The  works  were  lo- 
cated on  the  lake  shore  near  Chicago  avenue.    A  tim- 
ber crib,  twenty  by  forty  feet, was  sunk  six  hundred 
feet  from  shore,  and  from  this  crib  a  wooden  inlet  pipe 
of  thirty  inches  interior  diameter,  laid  in  a  trench  on 
the  bottom  of  the  lake,  conveyed  the  water  to  the 
pumping  well,  which  was  placed  under  the  engine 
house,  and  was  twenty-five  feet  deep.    The  end  of  the 
inlet  pipe  was  of  iron,  and  made  to  bend  down  to  the 
bottom  of  the  well,  acting  like  a  syphon.    The  water 
flowed  into  the  well  by  its  own  gravity,  and*  thence 
was  forced  by  the  engines  into  the  mains,  and  thence 
into  the  reservoir  in  the  South  Division — the  first 
built.    It  was  conveyed  thence  to  the  distributing 
pipes  in  the  various  parts  of  the  city.    The  engine 
house  was  built  of  brick  in  the  modern  Italian  style. 
The  main  building  was  fifty-four  feet  front  and  thirty- 
four  feet  deep,  with  two  wings,  each  forty-four  by 
thirty-four  feet.    The  main  building  was  carried  up 
two  stories  high,  the  wing  one  story.     In  the  centre 
of  the  main  building  a  tower  was  constructed,  14  feet 
square  at  the  base,  and  140  feet  high,  serving  as  a 
chimney  for  both  boilers  and  a  chamber  for  the  stand- 
ing column.    This  column  was  of  cast  iron  pipe,  twen- 
ty-four inches  in  diameter,  connected  with  the  pumps 
and  main  pipes,  and  serving  as  a  regulator  in  keep- 
ing up  a  uniform  head  of  water  in  the  reservoir.    The 
engine  was  about  two  hundred  horse  power.    There 
was  also  a  smaller  one  kept  for  use  in  case  of  accident 
to  the  principal  engine.    In  December,  1853,  water 
was  first  pumped  into  the  pipes  to  test  them,  and  the 
first  hydrant  was  opened  on  North  Clark  street,  near 
the  bridge.    In  February,  1854,  water  was  first  intro- 
duced into  the  houses. 

The  reservoir  building  was  completed  in  November, 
1854,  and  was  located  near  the  corner  of  Adams  and 
Clark  streets,  two  stories  high,  with  a  tank  capable  of 


38  Water  Supply  of  Chicago. 

holding  500,000  gallons  of  water;  the  tank  was  de- 
signed to  hold  a  night  supply  for  50, 000  inhabitants; 
the  surface  of  the  water  was  eighty-three  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  lake.  Two  other  reservoirs  were  after- 
wards constructed  for  the  other  divisions  of  the  city, 
viz:  onSangamon  street,  near  Monroe,  and  on  Chica- 
go avenue,  near  Franklin  street,  and  the  distribution 
pipes  were  gradually  thrown  all  over  the  city  till  at 
the  close  of  the  year  1862  there  were  nearly  105  miles 
of  pipes  laid,  including  mains.  Since  then  about  90 
additional  miles  have  been  put  down,  making  a  total 
of  195  Jineal  miles  in  the  city  to  the  end  of  1868. 

Another  decade  had  passed,  and  the  growing  nec- 
essities of  the  people  became  more  and  more  pressing, 
and  early  in  1863  the  matter  became  one  of  absorbing 
interest.  The  progress  of  the  war  was  the  national 
excitement;  the  raising  troops  was  the  State  concern, 
and  the  quality  of  water  which  was,  and  the  quantity 
which,  in  the  future,  could  be  delivered,  was  a  local 
civic  consideration  which  exercised  the  private  citizen, 
public  corporations, and  municipal  bodies. 

Many  suggestions  were  made,  and  many  plans  sub- 
mited  for  the  remedy  of  theevil.  Pipes  along  the  lake 
shore;  pipes  out  into  the  lake;  filtering  pipes  along  its 
margin;  deep  cuts  from  river  to  lake;  fanning  mills 
and  Archimedean  screws;  pipes  at  Bridgport,  and 
many  other  devices  were  all  thought  of.  Some  of 
them  were  tried,  and  all,  in  succession,  were  rejected 
as  impracticable.  All  of  these  plans  sought  to  cleanse 
the  Chicago  river  from  its  accumulation  of  filth,  and 
to  provide  an  ample  supply  of  pure  drinking  water. 
The  sanitary  condition  of  the  city,  good  as  it  was, 
might  be  bettered  by  action,  and  the  enterprise  of  the 
citizens  would  brook  little  delay  which  could  be  over- 
come by  treasure  and  by  invention.  Public  opinion 
at  length  compelled  the  Common  Council  to  take  ac- 
tion, and  it  joined  with  the  Board  of  Public  Works  in 
completing  a  contract  with  Mr.  Preston,  Superinten- 


Water    Supply  of  Chicago.  39 

dent  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal,  by  which  a 
portion  of  the  water  of  the  Calumet  river  should  be 
diverted  through  the  feeder  and  pumped  into  the  riv- 
er, thus  creating  an  artificial  current,  which  should 
carry  off  the  impurities  of  the  stream.  This  was  but 
a  partial  relief,  and  it  could  not  be  otherwise,  for  it 
availed  us  nothing  when  the  canal  was  in  disuse. 
Several  schemes  were  next  proposed,  as  follows:  To 
divert  the  water  of  the  Calumet  and  the  Desplaines 
Rivers  into  the  Chicago  River  by  means  of  the  feeder 
and  the  use  of  pumps.  To  this  it  was  objected  that 
the  supply  of  water  would  be  inadequate,  while  the 
adoption  of  the  plan  would  involve  the  city  in  inter- 
minable and  expensive  chancery  suits,  the  diversion 
of  the  current  of  the  streams  and  of  the  canal  seeming 
necessarily  to  encroach  upon  rights  which  had  vested 
in  the  canal  company,  and  in  the  owners  of  mill  prop- 
erty and  water  privileges  on  the  running  streams. 

A  second  plan  suggested  was  to  build  a  series  of 
intercepting  sewers,  similar  in  their  nature  to  those 
which  have  lately  been  erected  in  the  city  of  London, 
for  the  purification  of  the  river  Thames.  These,  it  was 
thought  by  some,  could  be  constructed  along  the  mar- 
gin of  the  river,  as  reservoirs  for  the  filth  passing 
within  its  borders,  and  from  the  sewers,  the  contents 
thus  received  being  emptied  into  the  lake,  or  distribut- 
ed over  the  country  for  purposes  of  agriculture.  This 
suggestion  had  a  theoretical  value.  The  largest  city 
of  the  world  adopted  it,  at  an  enormous  expense,  but 
to  the  time  of  its  consideration  here,  no  results  had 
been  deduced  which  promised  a  certain  or  probable 
success.  The  expenditure  of  money  would  be  very 
great,  and  the  loss  of  time  would  be  considerable,  and 
on  so  great  an  experiment,  which  had  not  in  itself  a 
fair  prospect  of  success,  our  people  were  unwilling  to 
enter.  The  proposed  ship  canal  had  the  appearance 
of  being  something  feasible,  but  there  was  a  IIJIITUT 
to  its  success.  Tt  needed  congressional  legislation, 


38  Water  Supply  of  Chicago. 

holding;  500,000  gallons  of  water;  the  tank  was  de- 
signed to  hold  a  night  supply  for  5 0,000  inhabitants; 
the  surface  of  the  water  was  eighty- three  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  lake.  Two  other  reservoirs  were  after- 
wards constructed  for  the  other  divisions  of  the  city, 
viz:  onSangamon  street,  near  Monroe,  and  on  Chica- 
go avenue,  near  Franklin  street,  and  the  distribution 
pipes  were  gradually  thrown  all  over  the  city  till  at 
the  close  of  the  year  1862  there  were  nearly  105  miles 
of  pipes  laid,  including  mains.  Since  then  about  90 
additional  miles  have  been  put  down,  making  a  total 
of  195 .lineal  miles  in  the  city  to  the  end  of  1868. 

Another  decade  had  passed,  and  the  growing  nec- 
essities of  the  people  became  more  and  more  pressing, 
and  early  in  1863  the  matter  became  one  of  absorbing 
interest.  The  progress  of  the  war  was  the  national 
excitement;  the  raising  troops  was  the  State  concern, 
and  the  quality  of  water  which  was,  and  the  quantity 
which,  in  the  future,  could  be  delivered,  was  a  local 
civic  consideration  which  exercised  the  private  citizen, 
public  corporations,and  municipal  bodies. 

Many  suggestions  were  made,  and  many  plans  sub- 
mited  for  the  remedy  of  the  evil.  Pipes  along  the  lake 
shore;  pipes  out  into  the  lake;  filtering  pipes  along  its 
margin;  deep  cuts  from  river  to  lake;  fanning  mills 
and  Archimedean  screws;  pipes  at  Bridgport,  and 
many  other  devices  were  all  thought  of.  Some  of 
them  were  tried,  and  all,  in  succession,  were  rejected 
as  impracticable.  All  of  these  plans  sought  to  cleanse 
the  Chicago  river  from  its  accumulation  of  filth,  and 
to  provide  an  ample  supply  of  pure  drinking  water. 
The  sanitary  condition  of  the  city,  good  as  it  was, 
might  be  bettered  by  action,  and  the  enterprise  of  the 
citizens  would  brook  little  delay  which  could  be  over- 
come by  treasure  and  by  invention.  Public  opinion 
at  length  compelled  the  Common  Council  to  take  ac- 
tion, and  it  joined  with  the  Board  of  Public  Works  in 
completing  a  contract  with  Mr.  Preston,  Superinten- 


Water    Supply  of  Chicago,  39 

dent  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal,  by  which  a 
portion  of  the  water  of  the  Calumet  river  should  be 
diverted  through  the  feeder  and  pumped  into  the  riv- 
er, thus  creating  an  artificial  current,  which  should 
carry  off  the  impurities  of  the  stream.  This  was  but 
a  partial  relief,  and  it  could  not  be  otherwise,  for  it 
availed  us  nothing  when  the  canal  was  in  disuse. 
Several  schemes  were  next  proposed,  as  follows:  To 
divert  the  water  of  the  Calumet  and  the  Desplaines 
Rivers  into  the  Chicago  River  by  means  of  the  feeder 
and  the  use  of  pumps.  To  this  it  was  objected  that 
the  supply  of  water  would  be  inadequate,  while  the 
adoption  of  the  plan  would  involve  the  city  in  inter- 
minable and  expensive  chancery  suits,  the  diversion 
of  the  current  of  the  streams  and  of  the  canal  seeming 
necessarily  to  encroach  upon  rights  which  had  vested 
in  the  canal  company,  and  in  the  owners  of  mill  prop- 
erty and  water  privileges  on  the  running  streams. 

A  second  plan  suggested  was  to  build  a  series  of 
intercepting  sewers,  similar  in  their  nature  to  those 
which  have  lately  been  erected  in  the  city  of  London, 
for  the  purification  of  the  river  Thames.  These,  it  was 
thought  by  some,  could  be  constructed  along  the  mar- 
gin of  the  river,  as  reservoirs  for  the  filth  passing 
within  its  borders,  and  from  the  sewers,  the  contents 
thus  received  being  emptied  into  the  lake,  or  distribut- 
ed over  the  country  for  purposes  of  agriculture.  This 
suggestion  had  a  theoretical  value.  The  largest  city 
of  the  world  adopted  it,  at  an  enormous  expense,  but 
to  the  time  of  its  consideration  here,  no  results  had 
been  deduced  which  promised  a  certain  or  probable 
success.  The  expenditure  of  money  would  be  very 
great,  and  the  loss  of  time  would  be  considerable,  and 
on  so  great  an  experiment,  which  had  not  in  itself  a 
fair  prospect  of  success,  our  people  were  unwilling  to 
enter.  The  proposed  ship  canal  had  the  appearance 
of  being  something  feasible,  but  there  was  a  barriiT 
to  its  success.  Tt  needed  congressional  legislation, 


42  Water  Supply  of  Chicago. 

of  the  Water  Works,  near  the  sight  of  the  crib  as  at 
present  located,  the  water,  being  thirty  feet  deep,  was 
clear  and  cool.  The  earth  was  penetrated  to  the  de- 
pth of  thirty  feet.  Here  was  found  a  covering  of  sand 
and  soft  mashy  clay,  with  a  clay  becoming  more  hard 
and  compact  as  it  was  more  deeply  penetrated.  On 
June  16th,  of  the  same  year,  temperature  of  the  water 
began  to  be  tested.  Its  clearness  was  apparent,  a 
small  object  was  visible  at  a  distance  of  eighteen  feet, 
the  water  being  thirty-six  feet  deep.  On  the  surface  the 
thermometer  showed,  at  three  o'clock  of  the  16th  day 
of  June,  sixty  degrees,  and  at  the  bottom  fifty-one  and 
a  half  degrees.  These  experiments  continued  to  be 
carried  on  with  the  like  result  of  exhibiting  clay  sub- 
stratum, the  approach  to  the  shore,  however,  show- 
ing a  deeper  alluvial  deposit  ,  composed  mainly  of 
sand. 

After  a  careful  discussion  of  the  various  methods 
which  had  been  submitted,  of  securing  the  city  a  sup- 
ply of  pure  water,  the  Board  of  Public  Works  decided, 
early  in  1863,  to  adopt  the  plan  of  carrying  a  tunnel 
out  ui  ider  the  lake.  The  necessary  drawings  and  specifi- 
cations were  at  once  made,  and  advertisements  were 
issued  inviting  proposals  for  the  doing  of  the  work. 
Bids  were  opened  on  the  9th  of  September,  1 863,  most 
of  the  parties  submitting  proposals  being  present  at 
the  opening.  The  bids,  seven  in  number,  ranged  from 
$239,548  to  $1,056,000,  as  follows:  James  Andrews, 
Pittsburgh,  Pa,  $239,548;  Dull  &  Gowan,  Harris- 
burgh,  Pa,  $315, 139;  Walker,  Wood  &  Robinson,  New 
York,  $315,000;  Williams,  McBean,  Brown  &  Neilson, 
Chicago,  $490,000;  Hervey  Nash,  $40  per  lineal  foot; 
D.  L.  DeGolyer,  Chicago,  $620,000;  William  Baldwin, 
New  York,  $1,056,000. 

The  great  disparity  in  bids  arose  from  the  difference 
of  opinion  which  existed  as  to  the  character  of  the  soil, 
some  of  the  contractors  thinking  they  would  meet 
with  sand  and  gravel  in  the  course  of  the  excavation, 


Water  Supply  of  Chicago.  43 

while  others,  expecting  that  the  soil  would  be  uniform- 
ly of  clay,  made  reservations,  throwing  the  responsi- 
bility of  meeting  with  another  kind  of  soil  upon  the 
city.  Messrs.  Dull  &  Gowan,were  the  only  contractors 
who  made  an  unqualified  bid,takingupon  themselves 
all  risks,  and  the  contract  was  awarded  to  them.  The 
Common  Council  granted  authority  for  that  purpose 
on  the  5th  of  October,  and  ordered  the  issue  of  the 
necessary  bonds.  The  time  originally  fixed  for  the 
completion  of  the  work  was  November,  1865. 

The  point  selected  by  the  Board  of  Public  Works  for 
the  commencement  of  the  work  was  the  lot  occupied 
by  the  Pumping  Works,  at  the  east  end  of  Chicago  ave- 
nue, on  the  lake  shore.  It  was  originally  proposed 
to  sink  one  land  and  two  to  four  lake  shafts  at  inter- 
mediate points  between  the  east  and  west  end  of  the 
tunnel,  the  lake  shafts  to  consist  of  cast-iron  cylinders 
protected  by  hollow,  pentagonal  cribs.  This  propo- 
sal was  based  on  the  supposition  that  that  number 
might  berequimlto  complete  the  tunnel  in  two  years. 
It  was  subsequently  found  that  the  lake  shafts 
could  be  omitted,  and  this  part  of  the  plan  was  aban- 
doned .  The  first  ground  was  broken  on  St.  Patrick's 
Day,  March  17th,  1864,  being  two  months  after  the 
time  originally  set,  on  account  of  the  delay  of  the  cyl- 
inders for  the  shore  shaft,  which  were  cast  at  Pitts- 
burgh .  The  inauguration  cerem onies  were  of  an  inter- 
esting character,  and  were  witnessed  by  about  a  hun- 
dred gentlemen,  among  whom  were  Mayor  Sherman, 
Messrs.  Letz  and  Rose,  of  the  Board  of  Public  Works; 
Mr.  S.  S.  Hayes,  the  City  Comptroller;  Mr.  E.  S.  Ches- 
brough,  U.  P.  Harris,  and  majority  of  the  members 
of  the  Common  Council.  The  Mayor  made  a  few  re- 
marks appropriate  to  the  occasion,  and  then  they 
took  pick  and  broke  the  ground  amid  the  cheers  of 
the  company.  Each  of  the  gentlemen  then  took  a 
shovelful  of  earth  and  placed  it  in  a  wheelbarrow, 
which  was  taken  outside  by  Mr.  Go  wan. 


44  Wafer  /Supply  of  Chicago 

After  breaking  ground  the  shore  shaft  was  sunk  on 
the  site  of  the  present  pumping  works.  Tt  was  origin- 
ally intended  to  construct  the  shaft  wholly  of  brick, 
running  it  down  from  the  surface  of  the  ground  to  a 
depth  of  fifteen  feet  below  the  level  of  the  lake,  but 
the  fact  that  a  shifting  quicksand  had  to  be  passed 
through  compelled  them  to  abandon  that  plan  of  op- 
eration. The  contract  was  deviated  from,  and  the 
contractors  were  authorized  to  run  down  an  iron  cyl- 
inder of  the  same  dimensions  as  the  center  of  the  crib, 
as  far  as  the  bottom  of  the  sand  bed,  about  twenty- 
six  feet.  This  cylinder  is  nine  feet  in  diameter,  inside, 
and  two  and  a  quarter  inches  thick.  Itwrasputdown 
in  four  sections  of  about  nine  feet  in  length. 

From  the  shore  shaft  the  tunnel  extends  two  miles 
out  in  a  straight  line  at  right  angles  with  the  shore, 
pointing  about  two  points  to  the  north  of  east.  The 
clear  width  of  the  tunnel  is  five  feet,  and  the  clear 
height,  five  feet  and  two  inches,  the  top  and  bottom 
arches  being  semi-circles.  It  is  lined  with  brick  ma- 
sonry eight  inches  thick,  in  two  rings  or  shells,  the 
brick  being  laid  lengthwise  of  the  tunnel,  with  tooth- 
ing joints.  The  bottom  of  the  inside  surfaces  of  the 
bore  a,t  the  east  end  is  sixty-six  feet  below7  water  level, 
or  sixty-four  feet  below  city  datum,  and  has  a  gradual 
slope  towards  the  shore  of  two  feet  per  mile,  falling- 
four  feet  in  the  whole,  to  admit  of  it  being  thoroughly 
emptied  in  case  of  repairs,  the  water  being  shut  off  at 
the  crib  by  means  of  a  gate.  The  work  has  been  laid 
in  brick  eight  inches  thick  all  around,  well  set  in  ce- 
ment. The  lower  half  of  the  bore  is  constructed  in 
such  a  manner  that  the  bricks  lie  against  the  clay, 
while  in  the  upper  half  the  bricks  are  \vedged  in  between 
the  brick  and  the  clay,  thus  preventing  any  danger 
which  might  result  from  the  tremendous  pressure 
which  it  was  feared  might  burst  in  the  tunnel. 

The  tunnel  as  now  constructed  will  deliver,  under  a 
head  of  two  feet,  19,000,000  gallons  of  water  daily; 


Water  Supply   of  Chicago.  45 

under  a  head  of  eight  feet,  38,000,000  gallons  daily, 
and  under  a  head  of  eighteen  feet,  57,000, 000 gallons 
daily.  The  velocities  for  the  above  quantities  will  be 
one  and  four-tenths  mile  per  hour,  head  being  two 
feet;  head  being  eight  feet,  the  velocity  will  be  two 
and  three-tenths  miles  per  hour,  and  the  head  being 
eighteen  feet  the  velocity  will  be  four  and  two-tenths 
miles  per  hour.  By  these  means  it  will  be  competent 
to  supply  one  million  people  with  fifty  seven  gallons 
each  per  day,  with  a  head  of  eighteen  feet. 

The  excavations  were  commenced  immediately  af- 
ter the  ground  was  broken.  With  regard  to  the  char- 
acter of  the  work,  the  material  met  with  in  the  pro- 
cess of  excavation  was  stiff  blue  clay  throughout,  so 
that  the  anticipation  of  the  contractors  in  this  re- 
spect was  fulfilled.  The  soil  was  found  to  be  so  uni- 
form that  only  one  leakage  of  water  through  the  tun- 
nel ever  occured,  and  that  only  distilling  through  a 
crevace  at  the  rate  of  a  bucket  full  in  five  minutes. 
This  occurred  in  September,  1865.  The  work-men 
left  in  dismay,  but  soon  returned  and  repaired  the 
crevice. .  From  that  time  no  accident  of  any  impor- 
tance occured  to  hinder  the  progress  of  +he  work, 
with  the  exception  of  one  or  two  slight  escapes  of  gas, 
which  resulted  in  nothing  more  serious  than  the  singe- 
ing of  a  workman's  whiskers.  Several  stones, 
from  the  size  of  an  egg  upwards,  were  met  with,  but 
very  few  in  comparison-  with  the  great  mass  of  clay. 

The  only  fault  to  be  found  with  the  clay  was,  that 
it  contained  too  much  calcareous  matter  to  make 
good  brick. 

The  contractors  claimed  to  have  lost  money  on  the 
work.  They  had  calculated  on  being  able  to  make 
their  own  bricks  on  the  ground,  but  for  the  reason 
above  stated  they  were  obliged  to  procure  bricks  else- 
where. They  pleaded  too,  for  increase  of  renumerati- 
on  on  the  ground  that  they  took  the  work  when  gold 
was  at  125.  They  really  signed  the  contract,  how- 


46  Water  Supply  of  Chicago. 

ever,  when  gold  was  160.  The  matter  was  ultimately 
referred  to  the  Committee  on  Finance,  and  upon  their 
report  being  presented  a  lengthy  argument  was  held 
on  the  legality  of  the  appropr  iat ion ,  and  the  propriety 
of  making  it,  the  contract  having  been  entered  into  by 
the  city  in  good  faith  and  the  contractors  being  advised 
as  to  the  price  of  gold.  Thebill  for  an  appropriation 
passed,  but  was  vetoed  by  the  Mayor  at  the  next  coun- 
cil meeting,  and  was  subsequently  reconsidered  by  the 
council  and  laid  on  the  table.  The  contractors  were, 
however,  at  one  time  authorized  to  draw  a  larger  per- 
centage upon  their  estimates  than  was  provided  for 
in  the  contract,  amounting  perhaps  to  about  $25,000, 
and  some  $40, 000  was  allowed  them  in  shape  of  extras 
for  work  not  specified  in  the  contract,  while  no  deduc- 
tions were  made  from  the  price  originally  agreed  upon, 
for  the  omission  of  the  intermediate  cribs  which  were 
found  to  be  unnecessary. 

On  the  25th  of  July,  1865,  the  giant  crib  for  the 
east  end  of  the  tunnel  was  launched,  in  the  presence  of 
Governor  Oglesby  and  a  large  concourse  of  citizens, 
and  after  being  towed  out,  in  safty,  two  miles  from 
the  shore,  was  there  sunk. 

It  is  forty  feet  and  half  high,  and  built  in  pentagon- 
al form,  in  a  circumscribing  circle  of  ninety  eight  and  a 
half  feet  in  diameter.  It  is  built  of  logs  one  foot  square, 
and  consists  of  three  walls,  at  a  distance  of  eleven  feet 
from  each  other,  leaving  a  central  pentagonal  space 
having  an  inscribed  circle  of  twenty-five  feet,  within 
which  is  fixed  the  iron  cylinder,  nine  feet  in  diameter, 
running  from  the  wrater  line  to  the  tunnel,  sixty-four 
feet  below  the  surface  and  thirty-one  feet  below  the 
bed  of  the  lake  at  that  point.  The  crib  is  thoroughly 
braced  in  every  direction.  It  contains  750,000  feet 
of  lumber,  board  measure,  and  150  tons  iron  bolts. 

It  is  filled  with  4,500  tons  of  stone  and  weighs 
5,700  tons.  The  crib  stands  twelve  feet  above  the 
water  line,  giving  a  maximum  area  of  1,200  feet  which 


Water  Supply  of  Chicago  47 

gan  be  exposed  at  one  sweep  to  the  action  of  the 
waves,  reckoning  the  resistance  as  perpendicular. 

The  outside  was  thoroughly  caulked,  equal  to  a  first 
class  vessel,  with  three  threads  in  each  seam,the  first 
and  last  being  what  is  called  "horsed."  Over  all 
these  there  is  a  layer  of  lagging  to  keep  the  caulking 
in  place  and  protect  the  crib  proper  from  the  action 
of  the  waves.  A  covered  platform  or  house  was  built 
over  the  crib,  enabling  the  workmen  to  prosecute  the 
work uninteiTuptfMlby  rain  or  wind,  and  affording  a 
protection  for  the  earth  brought  up  from  the  excava- 
tion, and  permitting  it  to  be  carried  away  by  scows, 
whose  return  cargoes  were  brick  for  the  lining  of  the 
tunnel.  The  top  of  the  cylinder  was  subsequently 
covered  with  a  grating  to  keep  out  floating  logs,  fish, 
etc.  A  sluice  made  in  the  side  of  the  crib  was  opened 
to  let  in  the  water,  and  a  lighthouse  is  intended  to  be 
built  over  all,  serving  the  double  purpose  of  guarding 
the  crib  from  injury  by  vessels  and  of  showing  the 
way  to  the  harbor  of  Chicago. 

The  first  brick  was  laid  at  the  crib  end  on  the  22d 
of  December,  1865,  and  on  the  last  day  of  the  year 
the  workmen  began  to  excavate  from  that  end,  at 
which  time  they  had  already  4,825  feet  done  from  the 
shore.  From  that  time  the  work  progressed  steadily 
and  with  few  interruptions  of  any  consequence.  In 
the  early  part  of  November,  1866,  when  within  a  few 
feet  of  meeting,  the  workmen  met  for  the  first  time 
writh  sand  pockets,  which  caused  leakage,  and  delayed 
the  final  blow  till  December  6th,  when  the  last  brick 
(which  was  a  stone),  was  laid  by  Mayor  J.  B.  Rice,  iri 
the  presence  of  the  Aldermen,  city  officials,  and  as 
many  other  prominent  citizens  as  could  be  packed  in- 
to the  tunnel  within  hearing  distance. 

Still  another  delay  was  experienced  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  conduits  to  the  new  pumping  works,  and 
it  was  not  until  Monday,  March  25th,  1867,  that 
the  water  was  let  into  the  tunnel  to  flow7  through 


48  Description  of  the  Xew  Lake  luniiel. 

the  water  pipes  and  hydrants  of  the  city.  On  that 
day  the  new  water  works  were  formally  inaugurated 
by  the  laying  of  the  corner  stone  of  a  new  tower,  sit- 
uated about  half  a  block  west  of  the  old  tower,  and 
since  completed  to  a  total  height  of  130  feet,  standing 
on  a  base  of  twenty-four  feet  square. 

The  total  cost  of  this  the  first  lake  tunnel  to  the 
city,  including  extras,  preliminary  examination,  sup- 
ervision, etc,  was  $437,845.  The  total  water  debt  of 
the  city  was  $2,483,000  in  April,  1868. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  NEW  LAKE  TUNNEL. 

BY   E.    S.    CHESBROUGH. 

Tn  consequence  of  the  unprecedented  growth  of  the 
city,  and  the  more  than  corresponding  increase  in 
consumption  of  water,  and  the  dread  that  existed 
even  then  of  extensive  conflagrations,  the  city  council 
directed  the  Board  of  Public  Works,  in  1869,  to  take 
immediate  action  in  reference  to  the  further  wants  of 
the  city.  The  Board  reported  the  result  of  their  in- 
vestigations under  date  of  October  15th,  the  same 
year;  and  recommended  the  construction  of  an  addi- 
tional tunnel  to  start  from  the  same  crib  as  the  old 
one,  to  run  parallel  with  it  to  the  old  pumping  works; 
thence  under  the  city  in  a  straight  line  to  some  point 
on  the  South  Branch,  not  further  east  than  Halsted 
St.,  nor  further  west  than  Ashland  Ave.;  the  diameter 
of  the  tunnel  to  be  seven  feet,  and  its  estimated  capac- 
ity 100,000,000  U.  S.  gallons  in  twenty-four  hours. 

Owing  to  protracted  discussion  in  the  city  council, 
and  vetoes  of  the  mayor,  and  a  subsequent  injunction 
upon  the  proceedings  of  the  Board  of  Public  Works 
in  relation  to  the  letting  of  this  work,  its  commence- 
ment was  delayed  until  July  12th,  1872.  The  western 
end  was  fixed  on  the  west  side  of  Ashland  Ave.,  just 
south  of  Blue  Island  Ave.,  where  the  pumping  works 


Chicago  Water  Tunnels  and  Intake   Cribs.  49 

could  be  supplied  with  coal  either  by  rail  or  by  vessel. 

In  the  construction  of  the  new  tunnel  no  serious 
difficulties  were  encountered  except  at  two  points — 
at  the  crib  and  near  Polk  St.  Each  of  these  took  several 
months  to  overcome,  the  one  at  the  crib  at  an  entire 
cost  of  about  $10,000  to  the  city,  and  the  one  at  Polk 
St.  at  a  cost  of  about  as  much  more,  including  dam- 
ages to  property  caused  by  the  settling  of  ground 
above  the  tunnel. 

The  masonry  in  the  tunnel  was  made  about  eleven 
inches  thick.  Its  total  length  is  six  miles,  and  it  is 
connected  by  a  short  cross  or  branch  tunnel  with  the 
North  Side  pumping  works,  which  immediately  upon 
the  completion  of  the  new  lake  tunnel,  received  great 
relief,  the  water  in  the  wells  rising  six  or  seven  feet 
higher  than  it  usually  stood  before. 

The  estimated  combined  capacity  of  the  old  ancl 
the  new  lake  tunnels  is  150, 000,000  U.S.  gallons  daily. 

The  actual  consumption  of  water  has  increased  very 
greatly  with  the  increased  facilities  for  furnishing  it, 
so  that  more  pumping  power  is  already  demanded, 
and  a  new  tunnel  is  considered  a  necessity  in  the  not 
very  distant  future. 


CHICAGO  WATER  TUNNELS  and    INTAKE    CRIBS   IN 
LAKE  MICHIGAN. 

Prior  to  1867  the  water  supply  for  the  pumping  station  at  Chicago  Avenue 
was  taken  from  an  inlet  basin  (constructed  in  1854-5)  on  the  shore  line  about 
500  east  of  the  centre  line  of  the  present  Lincoln  Park  Boulevard  (formerly 
Pine  Street).  On  the  I7th  of  March,  1864,  work  was  commenced  on  the  first 
water  tunnel,  which  is  5  feet  internal  diameter  and  extends  from  a  shore  shaft 
located  in  the  rear  of  the  Chicago  Avenue  pumping  station,  east  and  slightly 
northly,  two  miles  to  the  lake  shaft  in  the  two  mile  crib,  the  work  being  com- 
pleted and  celebrated  with  appropriate  public  ceremonies  on  March  25th,  i867. 
The  total  cost  of  tunnel  and  crib  was  $457,844.95. 

SECOND  LAKE  and  FIRST  LAND  TUNNEL. 

Work  upon  a  new  7  foot  diameter  tunnel  running  parallel  to  the  original  5 
foot  tunnel,  from  a  shaft  in  the  rear  of  the  Chicago  Avenue  pumping  station,  to 
a  new  shaft  in  the  two  mile  crib,  was  commenced  on  July  I2th.  1872.  Work 
on  the  shore  section  of  the  7  foot  tunnel  connecting  the  above  lake  tunnel  with 
the  new  pumping  works  on  Ashland  Avenue  near  22nd  Street  was  commenced 
in  July,  1873.  This  land  tunnel  runs  southwesterly  from  a  shaft  in  the  rear  of 
the  Chicago  Avenue  pumping  station  3-92-100  miles  to  a  shaft  in  front  of  the 
West  Side  pumping  station  on  Ashland  Avenue.  The  Lake  section  was  com- 
pleted on  July  7th,  1874,  and  the  final  connection  on  shore  to  lake  section  was 
made  about  February  ist,  1875,  when  the  water  was  let  in. 

The  lake  section  cost  $411,510. 16,  the  land  extension  $545,000.00.  Total 
cost  $956,510.16. 


Chicago  Water  Tunnels  and  Intake  Cribs. 


FOUR  MILE  LAKE  TUNNEL  CRIB  and  LAND  SYSTEM. 

The  Four  mile  crib  is  situated  four  miles  off  shore  in  Lake  Michigan  (from  Peck 
Court).  Tunnel  commencing  at  shaft  in  Park  Row  and  connecting  with  shaft 
in  crib.  I/and  tunnel  has  two  sections,  one  starting  at  shaft  in  Park  Row  and 
connecting  with  shaft  in  Indiana  Avenue  in  front  of  I4th  Street  pumping  station. 
The  other  section  extends  northerly  to  Peck  Court  shaft,  thence  to  shaft  in  Cen- 
tral pumping  station.  In  Jefferson  Street  a  by-pass  is  constructed  from  this  tun- 
nel to  the  old  7  foot  land  tunnel. 

The  lake  system  consists  of  two  6  foot  tunnels  running  from  shaft  in  Park 
Row  about  12,000  feet,  connecting  with  8  foot  tunnel  to  shaft  in  four  mile  crib. 
Total  length  of  lake  and  land  tunnel  is  5-3114  miles.  Total  cost  of  construction 
of  land  and  lake  tunnel,  by-pass,  crib  and  breakwater  is  $1,526.143.68.  Work 
commenced  in  1887,  completed  in  1892. 

NORTH  SHORE  INLET  EXTENSION  CONSTRUCTED  DURING  1887-88. 
North  shore  tunnel  extends  from  shaft  at  North  pumping  Station  and  extends 
east  to  breakwater.  Extension  to  North  Shore  Inlet  from  breakwater  crib  to 
shaft  at  two  mile  crib  (off  Chicago  Avenue)  was  constructed  from  1895-1896- 
1897.  Diameter  of  tunnel  is  7  feet.  Total  cost  of  construction  is  $259,832.41, 

LAKE  VIEW  TUNNEL  AND  CRIB. 

Lake  View  crib  is  situated  in  Lake  Michigan  two  miles  off  shore  at  the  foot  of 
Montrose  Boulevard.  Tunnel  extends  from  shaft  in  pumping  station  to  shaft  in 
crib.  Total  cost  of  construction  of  tunnel  and  crib,  is  $530,097.63.  Work 
commenced  in  1800,  completed  in  1896.  Tunnel  diameter  6  feet. 

HYDE  PARK  TUNNEL  AND  CRIB. 

Hyde  Park  crib  is  situated  in  Lake  Michigan  about  two  miles  off  shore  (at 
68th  street).  A  7  foot  tunnel  connects  crib  with  pumping  station,  also  a  five 
foot  tunnel  from  station  extends  and  connects  with  7  foot  tunnel  about  5000  feet 
from  shore,  also  a  6  foot  tunnel  to  a  submerged  intake  about  4500  feet  from 
shore.  Work  was  commenced  in  1897.  Total  cost  of  tunnel  and  crib  construct- 
ed is  $727,  471.33. 

NORTH  EAST  LAKE  TUNNEL  AND  CRIB. 

Crib  is  situated  in  Lake  Michigan  2-1 1|2  miles  off  shore  at  foot  of  Oak  Street. 
Lake  tunnel  connects  with  shaft  in  Crib  from  shaft  at  shore  in  Oak  Street.  Tun- 
nel is  10  feet  in  diameter. 

SECTION  No.  1 — Land  tunnel  commenced  at  shaft  ft.  ofOak  Street,  thence  in  a 
southwesterly  direction  to  Green  Street  and  Grand  Avenue,  connecting  with 
shaft  in  Green  Street — diameter  10  feet. 

SECTION  No.  2— Commences  at 
Green  Street  and  Grand  Avenue  and 
extends  in  a  southwesterly  direction 
and  connects  with  shaft  in  pumping 
station  at  Central  Park  Avenue  and 
Filmore  street.  Diameter  8  feet. 
SECTION  No.  3— Commences  at 
Green  street  and  Grand  avenue  and 
extends  in  northwesterly  direction  to 
shaft  in  pumping  station  at  Spring- 
field avenue  and  Bloomingdale  Road 
Diameter  8  feet.  Total  distance  of 
land  and  lake  tunnel  12  1-4  miles. 
Cost  of  tunnel  and  crib  construction, 
including  pumping  stations  and  ma- 
chinery, is  $4,000,000.00. 

The  northeast  lake  tunnel  was 
commenced  in  1896  and  completed 
in  1899.  Sections  1,  2.  3  of  land 
tunnel  system  commenced  in  1895 
and  completed  in  1900. 
Above  furnished  by  John  H.  Spengler,  Assistant  City  Engineer,  Chicago. 


52  Horse- Railroads  of  Chicago. 


HORSE-RAILROADS  OF   CHICAGO. 

BY  AUGUSTINE  W.  WRIGHT. 

August  16,  1858,  an  ordinance  passed  the  Common 
Council  of  Chicago,  granting  permission  to  Henry 
Fuller,  Franklin  Parmlee  and  Liberty  Bigelow,  with 
such  other  persons  as  might  thereafter  become  asso- 
ciated with  them,  to  lay  a  single  or  double  track  with 
turnouts,  side-tracks  and  switches,  to  be  operated  by 
horse-power,  along  the  following  streets,  provided 
said  tracks  should  not  be  laid  writhin  twelve  feet  of 
the  sidewalk,  except  on  curves.  On  State  street,  from 
Lake  to  the  then  city  limits;  Ringgold  place,  State  to 
Cottage  Grove  avenue;  on  the  latter  to  the  then  city 
Imits;  Archer  road  from  State  to  then  city  limits: 
Madison  from  State  to  the  then  city  limits.  These 
privileges  were  to  be  forfeited  unless  the  construction 
of  one  of  said  railroads  should  be  commenced  before 
November  1, 1858.  This  company  was  incorporated 
under  the  title  of  the  Chicago  City  Railway,  and  the 
act  approved  Feb.  4,  1859.  Work  was  begun  within 
the  time  specified  on  State  street,  and  ground  broken 
by  Henry  Fuller,  in  front  of  Garrett  Block,  near  Ran- 
dolph, with  appropriate  ceremonies.  The  first  spike 
was  driven  by  Gov.  Bross,  thus  inaugurating  our 
horse  railway  system. 

By  May  1,  1859,  a  single  track  was  completed  from 
Madison  to  Twenty-second  street,  on  State,  and  two 
horse-cars  were  run  every  twelve  minutes.  In  the 
summer  of  1859,  the  track  was  extended  on  Twenty- 
second  and  Cottage  Grove  avenue  to  Thirty-first,and 
just  before  the  United  States  Fair  opened  in  the  fall 
of  1859,  cars  were  run  every  six  minutes,  as  far  as 
Twenty-second  street. 

During  this  time  the  track  on  Madison  street  was 
laid  to  "Bulls  Head" — Ogden  avenue. 

At  the  same  time  like  privileges  were  granted  \V.  B. 


Hor  se-Kailr  oads  of  Chicago.  53 

Ogden,  John  B.  Turner,  Charles  V.  Dyer,  James  H. 
Ilees  and  Volentine  C.  Turner,  by  the  name  of  the 
North  Chicago  City  Railway  for  the  North  Division. 
The  company  was  authorized  to  lay  a  single  or  doub- 
le track,  commencing  at  the  intersection  of  Clark  and 
North  Water,  thence  north  on  Clark  to  Green  Bay 
Road,  along  latter  to  present  or  future  city  limits; 
on  Division  from  Claris  to  Clybourne  avenue,  on  lat- 
ter to  Racine  road,  thence  on  the  same  line  to  north- 
ern city  limits;  on  Michigan  from  Clark  to  Rush,  on 
Rush  to  Chicago  avenue,  thence  on  Green  Bay  road 
to  Wolcott,  thence  to  Elm,  west  on  Elm  to  Clark;  also 
on  Wells  from  North  Water  to  Division,  on  latter  to 
Sedgwick,  north  on  Sedgwick  to  Green  Bay  road;  al- 
so on  Chicago  avenue  from  Rush  to  River.  This 
company  commenced  running  its  cars  in  August, 
1859,  on  Clark  between  North  Water  and  Fullerton 
avenue,  and  on  Chicago  avenue  between  Clark  and 
North  Branch  of  the  river.  At  that  time  ('lark  street 
was  planked,  and  the  first  track  was  laid  by  spiking 
a  "center  bearing"  rail  directly  upon  the  street 
planks,  and  putting  an  additional  thickness  of  plank 
in  the  horse  path. 

The  track  was  laid  double  to  Division  street  arid 
a  single  track  of  "T"  rail  extended  from  the  latter 
point  to  Fullerton  a,  venue.  The  first  car  was  purchased 
from  Eaton,  Gilbert  &  Co.,  of  Troy,  N.  Y. 

May  23,  1859,  the  Common  Council  passed  an  or- 
dinance authorizing  the  Chicago  City  Railway  Com- 
pany to  extend  its  tracks  as  follows:  On  Lake  from 
Market  to  western  city  limits;  on  Randolph  from 
State  to  Lake,  at  Union  Park;  on  Desplaines  from 
Lake  to  Milwaukee  avenue,  and  along  latter  to  pres- 
ent or  future  city  limits;  on  Canal  from  La,ke  to  Polk; 
on  Harrison  from  Canal  to  Southwestern  plank  road; 
on  Market  from  Lake  to  Madison;  on  Wells  from  Ran- 
dolph to  Polk,  and  on  Polk  to  Canal,  south  on  Canal 
to  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad;  on  Clark 


54  Hor  *e- Railroads  of  Chicago. 

from  Kandolph  to  Polk,  west  on  Polk  to  Wells;  on 
Van  Buren  from  State  to  Southwestern  Plank  Road; 
on  Harrison  street  from  Canal  toBlue  Island  avenue, 
and  along  latter  to  intersection  with  Cottage  Grove. 
Randolph  street  track  had  to  be  completed  within 
three  months  from  State  to  Union  Park,  Lake  street 
same  time,  South  Wells  to  Polk,  and  Van  Buren  street 
line  in  eighteen  months,  Canal  and  Blue  Island  with- 
in one  year.  Others  as  soon  as  practicable,  unless  or- 
dered to  be  done  sooner  by  the  Common  Council. 
February  21, 1861,  E.P.  Ward,  William  K  McAllister, 
Samuel  B.  Walker,  James  L.  Wilson,  Charles  B.  Brown, 
Nathaniel  P.  Wilder,  and  their  successors,  were  incor- 
porated as  the  Chicago  West  Division  Railway  Com- 
pany, and  authorized  "to  acquire,  unite  and  exercise 
any  of  the  powers,  franchises,  privileges  or  immuni- 
ties conferred  upon  the  Chicago  City  Railway  Compa- 
ny upon  such  terms  and  conditions  as  might  by  con- 
tract between  the  said  railway  corporations  be  pre- 
scribed." 

The  aforementioned  grants  covered  70  miles,  1,960 
feet  of  horse  railroad  tracks,  for  a  city  of  less  than, 
90,000  inhabitants,  and  evidenced  a  "far-sightedness'* 
and  faith  in  the  ultimate  growth  of  the  city,  which  is 
proverbially  one  of  the  characteristics  of  Chicago's 
wide-awake  citizens,  and  they  have  never  yet  had 
cause  for  complaint,  for  day  by  day,  week  by  week, 
month  by  month,  and  year  by  year  our  city  continues 
a  growth  that  is  the  wonder  of  all  nations. 

The  charters  require  the  company  operating  the 
road  to  keep  eight  feet  in  width  whentliprpis  a  single 
track  and  sixteen  feet  in  width  when  the  track  is  doub- 
le, in  as  good  repair  and  condition  as  the  balance  of 
the  street,  and  limits  the  fare  to  five  cents  for  any 
distance. 

The  level  surface  of  the  ground  upon  which  this  city 
is  built,  in  conjunction  with  wide  streets,  is  favorable 
to  street  railways,  but  the  bridges  over  the  river  pre- 


Horse- Railroads  of  Chicago.  55 

sent  great  and  growing  impediments  to  communi- 
cation. A  recent  count  at  Clark  street  bridge,  showed 
that  between  hours  of  7  a.  m.  and  7  p.  m.,  32,467 
vehicles  crossed,  while  the  bridge  was  swung  84  times. 

WEST  DIVISION  RAILWAY. 
J.  RUSSELL  JONES,  President  ;  JAS.  K.  LAKE,  Superintendent. 

Number  of  miles  run  in,  1879 4,524,009 

Number  of  trips  in,  1879 645,466 

Number  of  men  on  pay-roll  in  1879 1,200 

Number  of  horses  owned  in  1879 2,103 

Number  of  miles  of  single  track  in  1879  67 
Am 't  expended  repairs  of  Sts.  and  track,  18 78  |93896 

Number  of  cars  starting  every  hour 1 50 

CHICAGO  CITY  RAILWAY. 
S.  B.  COBB,  President;  C.  B.  HOLMCS,  Superintendent. 

Number  of  miles  run  in,  1879 3,029,500 

Number  of  horses  now  owned 1,396 

Number  of  miles  of  single  track 44 

Number  of  regular  cars  starting  every  hour  73 

NORTH  CHICAGO  CITY  RAILWAY. 

V.  C.  TURNER,  President;  M.  W.  Squires,  Superintendent. 

Number  of  miles  run  in,  1879 1,720,031 

"     "        "     "    1860 167,561 

Number  of  trips  in  1879 273,031 

"     "      "I860 41,890 

Number  of  men  on  pay-roll 400 

Number  of  horses  now  owned 910 

Number  of  miles  of  single  track 27 

Number  of  regular  cars  starting  every  hour  60 
Total  number  of  horses  owned  by  the  three 

divisions  in  1879 4,409 

Total  number  of  miles  of  single  track 

operated  by  three  divisions 138 

Total  number  of  cars  starting  every 

hour  by  the  three  divisions 283 

The  foregoing  is  a  concise  history  of  the  introduction  of  street  car  transporta- 
tion in  Chicago. 


56  rlhe  Associated  Press 

Passing  over  a  brief  period  of  extending  horse  car 
lines,  let  us  note  the  advent  of  a  new  method  of  trans- 
portation — the  cable  driven  by  a  local  steam  power. 

The  first  cars  on  this  new  plan  commenced  running 
in  January  1882  on  state  street  from  Randolph  to 
39th  street  under  a  franchise  from  the  Chicago  City 
council  of  the  previous  year.  This  was  a  great  saving 
of  expense  incurred  by  the  use  of  horses  and  satisfied 
the  public  better  because  it  ensured  greater  speed. 

Cars  propelled  by  electricity  were  next  to  be  consid- 
ered especially  as  this  plan  of  moving  cars  could  be 
utilized  better  and  cheaper  on  latteral  lines  as  feeders 
to  cable  lines. 

In  April  1894  an  ordinance  was  passed  by  the  City 
Council  for  the  introduction  of  this  new  power,  accord- 
ingly these  power  houses  were  soon  erected — one  at 
California  ave,  Western  ave,  and  Hawthorn  ave,  from 
which  the  electric  force  is  generated  wherewith  to  pro- 
pel the  entire  system  of  trolley  lines  of  the  City,  as  well 
as  those  that  extended  beyond  the  limits,  their  com- 
bined energy  is  rated  to  be  equal  to  about  30,000 
horse  power,  conduces  and  distributes  in  currents 
along  the  wires  suspended  over  the  tracks  of  their  res- 
pective lines.  Frequent  flashes  of  light  along  the  rails 
of  the  road  bed  nightly  gives  a  picturesque  reminder 
of  their  force  equipped  from  nature  by  art. 


THE  ASSOCIATED  PRESS. 

Like  many  other  useful  inventions,  the  association 
of  the  newspaper  literati  for  accumulating  and  dis- 
seminating news  was  of  American  origin.  New  York 
was  the  threshold  for  the  advent  of  English  news-paper 
literature  in  America  at  its  earliest  date,  and,  here  as 
a  consequence,  were  called  into  being  the  first  news- 


The  Associated  Press.  57 

papers  to  represent  the  expanding  interests  of  Ameri- 
ca, patterned  from  the  London  press. 

These  papers  were  the  Courier,  started  in  May  1827, 
merged  with  the  Enquirer  in  1829,under  title  of  The 
Courier  and  Enquirer  and  later  under  the  title  of  The 
Journal  of  Commerce.  William  Culleii  Bryant — an 
early  Editor;  The  New  York  Sun,  Moses  Y.  Beach 
Editor,  began  in  1833,  and  The  New  York  Herald 
James  Gordon  Bennett,  Editor  in  1837.  Soon  after- 
wards Thurlow  Weed  and  Horace  Greeley  were  asso- 
ciated together,  in  the  establishment  of  the  New 
York  Tribune.  The  above  mentioned  Editors  were 
not  the  first  in  America;  but  were  well  qualified  to 
introduce  here  a  standard  of  excellence,  in  that  pro- 
fession, which  has  ever  since  been  the  aim  of  newspa- 
per men.  The  writer  well  remembers  their  grand 
inspiring  faces,  all  of  which  he  saw  when  a  young  lad. 

David  Hale  of  the  Journal  of  Commerce,  and  Mr. 
Bennett  of  The  Herald  began  an  arrangement  by 
which  the  papers  of  New  York  combined  their  efforts 
to  obtain  news  at  their  mutual  expense  for  their  mu- 
tual use.  The  result  was  that  the  above  listed  papers 
together  with  various  papers  in  other  cities  appointed 
a  joint  agent  to  collect  news  for  the  use  of  each  in 
this  co-operative  association,  was  known  by  the  name 
of  The  New  York  Associated  Press,  which  was  formed 
in  the  winter  of  1848—9.  The  business  of  this  asso- 
ciation which  was  the  first  one  framed  in  America  or 
any  other  country,  soon  grew  to  be  large.  Papers  in 
outside  cities  bought  news  of  it,  as  a  necessity  to  keep 
abreast  of  the  times. 

Pittsburg,  Cincinnati  and  Chicago;  all  then  in  their 
infancy,  were  the  patrons  of  the  New  York  Associa- 
tion, paying  an  annual  tribute  to  it,  till  the  inevitable 
decrees  of  western  enterprise  relieved  them  from  this 
subordinate  position  in  the  Newspaper  fraternity. 
The  first  step  in  this  direction  was  the  establishment 
of  the  Western  Associated  Press  (a  Michigan  corpor- 


58  The   Associated  Press. 

ation  organized  in  1865)  which  acted  as  a  corpora- 
tion with  the  New  York  Associated  Press. 

The  New  England  Associated  Press  followed,  and 
later,  the  New  York  State,  the  Philadelphia  and  the 
Baltimore  papers  had  associations  of  their  own. 

All  of  these  associations  had  contracts  with  the  New 
York  Associated  Press,  by  the  terms  of  which  they 
exchanged  news  with  the  New  York  Associated  Press 
and  paid  that  organization  an  annual  bonus.  Thus, 
the  New  York  Associated  Press  became,  for  this  coun- 
try, a  great  clearing  house  for  the  news  of  the  world. 

Powerful  as  this  organization  was,  certain  papers 
started  and  grew  into  influence  independent  of  it, 
who  ultimately  joined  their  interests  together  and 
organized  a  rival  news  gathering  concern.  First,  it 
was  the  National  Associated  Press,  then  the  Ameri- 
can Associated  Press,  and  finally  the  United  Press. 

These  rival  associations  were  fostered  by  a  rival  tel- 
egraph company,  and  all  of  these  rival  associations 
were  modeled  upon  the  New  York  and  New  England 
Associated  Presses.  While  the  so-called  Associated 
Press  (meaning  thereby  the  alliance  existing  be- 
tween the  New  York  Associated  Press,  the  New  En. 
gland  Associated  Press,  the  Western  Associated  Press 
the  New  York  State  Associated  Press,  the  Philadelphia 
Associated  Press  and  the  Baltimore  Associated  Press) 
was  strong  and  commanding,  while  the  rivals  were  fi- 
nancially weak,  when  one  or  two  wealthy  men, 
members  of  it,  offered  to  advance  the  needed  means  if 
they  could  be  secured  by  stock  in  the  corporation. 

This  was  assented  to,  and  very  soon  the  control  of 
the  company  passed  practically  into  the  hands  of  two 
or  three  men.  Meanwhile  the  New  York  Associated 
Press  and  its  dependent  associations  were  not  harmo- 
nious in  business  relations.  About  the  year  1870,the 
Western  Associated  Press,  principally,  as  well  as 
some  of  these  tributary  associations  grew  restive 

They  did  not  want  to  continue  to  be  simply  tributa- 


The  Associated  Press.  59 

ry  to  the  New  York  association  for  the  reason  that 
they  wanted  an  equal  voice  in  the  character  of  the  news 
to  be  gathered;  moreover  they  wanted  equal  terras 
with  the  New  York  association  as  to  the  expense  of 
gathering  news;  they  having  hitherto  been  charged 
exorbitant  rates  for  it.  In  1882  the  Western  Asso- 
ciated Press  severed  its  relations  with  the  New  York 
association  papers,  sent  its  own  agents  to  London 
and  to  Washington  and  began  a  competitive  service. 
This  competition  soon  outrivaled  the  New  York  asso- 
ciation, and  the  latter  proposed  a  compromise,  and 
terms  were  soon  negotiated  for  an  alliance.  The 
Eastern  organization  naming  two  members,  the 
Western  naming  two,  of  a  joint  executive  committee 
to  control  the  details  of  the  business,  which  was  an 
amalgamation  of  the  two  associations.  A  fifth  man 
on  this  executive  committee  was  taken  from  New 
York  while  the  general  manager  was  taken  from  the 
west.  This  plan  of  working  together  continued  for 
ten  years. 

In  1887  the  United  Press  made  a  secret  agreement 
with  the  executive  committee  of  the  Associated  Press, 
the  result  of  which  was  a  practical  union  of  the  two 
organizations.  The  Associated  Press  was  in  the  na- 
ture of  a  co-operative  organization;  that  is,  its  mem- 
bership, particularly  the  Western  Associated  Press, 
extended  to  every  paper  of  importance:  they  were  all 
shareholders  in  it.  The  United  Press  was  started 
originally  on  the  same  plan,  and  by  the  sale  of  stock 
in  its  treasury  and  by  virtue  of  the  arrangement  with 
the  Associated  Press,  the  United  Press  stock  was 
soon  in  the  hands  of  a  few  who  owned  sufficient  stock 
to  control  it  and  they  sold  at  a  nominal  price  some 
of  this  stock  to  the  executive  committee  of  the  Asso- 
ciated Press.  It  became  a  dividend-paying  stock  at 
once,  for  this  reason:  that  the  terms  of  the  agreement 
between  the  United  Press  and  the  Associated  Press 
had  provided  that  The  Associated  Press  re- 


60  The  Associated  Press 

port  should  be  given  to  the  United  Press  in  ex- 
change for  its  report.  The  United  Press  then  found 
itself  in  a  position  where  it  had  no  expense  for  gather- 
ing news,  but  simply  drew  its  revenues,  and  it  was  a 
money-making  venture.  This  subtility  was  discover- 
ed, in  1891,  and  steps  were  immediately  taken  to  re- 
pudiate the  whole  arrangement.  Then  open  warfare 
between  the  United  Press  and  The  Associated  Press 
resulted.  Naturally,  those  members  of  the  executive 
committee  who  were  repudiated  by  their  fellow  mem- 
bers, went  into  the  United  Press,  left  the  Associated 
Press,  and  undertook  to  destroy  it.  In  1892,  the 
Charter  of  the  Western  Associated  Press  being  about 
to  expire  "The  Associated  Press"  as  at  present  exist- 
ing, was  organized  under  an  Illinois  charter,  by  mem- 
bers of  the  old  organization.  This  at  once  assumed 
the  proportion  of  a  national  organization,  and  be- 
came steadily  stronger  until  in  1897-so  many  papers 
had  forsaken  the  United  Press  and  joined  the  Asso- 
ciated Press  that  the  United  Press  was  obliged  to  go 
out  of  business.  The  radical  difference  between  the 
United  Press  and  The  Associated  Press  should  be 
borne  in  mind.  While  the  former  was  distinctly  a 
money  making  enterprise,  designed  to  pay  dividends 
on  its  stock,  which  was  in  the  hands  of  three  or  four 
men,  The  Associated  Press  was  a  mutual  organiza- 
tion whose  stock  is  held  by  many  persons,  none  of 
whom  may  hold  more  than  eight  shares,  and  each  of 
whom  must  be  the  proprietor  of  a  paper  on  the  mem- 
bership roll  of  The  Associated  Press,  whose  object  is 
the  collection  and  distribution  of  the  news  of  the 
world. 

The  scheme  of  organization  of  The  Associated  Press, 
for  administrative  purposes,  consists  of  General  Mgr. 
with  headquarters  here,  and  Assistant  General  Mgr. 
with  his  office  in  New  York;  f o  ur  Supts. ;  a  Supt.  of  di- 
vision residing  in  New  York,  with  a  division  consisting 
of  the  New  England  and  middle  states  and  West  Vir- 


Tlie  Associated  Press.  61 

ginia,  called  the  eastern  division;  a  superintendent 
residing  at  Washington  in  the  District  of  Columbia, 
managing  the  southern  division,  which  comprises  the 
District  of  Columbia,  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  South 
Carolina,  Georgia,  Florida,  Alabama,  Tennessee, 
Mississippi  and  Louisiana;  a  superintendent  resident 
of  the  cit}7  of  Chicago,  managing  the  central  division, 
comprisingthe  states  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Michigan,  Illi- 
nois, Wisconsin,  Missouri,  Iowa,  Minnesota,  Kansas, 
Nebraska,  North  Dakota,  South  Dakota,  Arkansas, 
Kentucky,  Texas,  and  Oklahoma  and  Indian  Terri- 
tories, a  superintendent,  resident  of  San  Francisco, 
managing  the  western  division,  comprising  the  states 
of  Arizona,  California,  Wyoming,  Oregon,  Colorado, 
Montana,  Washington,  Idaho,  Nevada,  Utah  and  the 
territory  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona. . 

There  are  about  650  salaried  employees  of  The 
Associated  Press,  and  probably  about  the  same  num- 
ber of  men  on  space  rate  who  are  scattered  all  over 
the  country.  There  is  a  list  maintained,  practically 
in  each  office  of  The  Associated  Press  in  the  United 
States,  of  men  who  are  on  call  at  different  points. 
They  may  not  be  used  except  at  long  intervals. 
Their  names  are  on  file,  and  in  a  local  emergency  they 
are  called  upon  for  news  which  they  gather  and  file 
at  the  nearest  telegraph  office  to  the  nearest  general 
correspondent  of  The  Associated  Press.  Besides  this 
each  member's  contract  obligates  him  to  furnish  the 
association  with  the  news  of  his  vicinity.  In  practice, 
there  is  at  each  point  where  there  is  a  paper  a  salaried 
or  unsalaried  representative  of  the  association  who 
puts  the  news  in  shape  and  files  it. 

For  the  purpose  of  gathering  foreign  news  it  now 
has  correspondence  with  the  foreign  news  agents — 
the  Renter,  Havas,  Wolf,  and  the  different  agencies 
all  over  the  world.  It  has  contract  relations  with 
Reuter  and  Havas,  which  cover  Great  Britain  and 
her  colonies,  France,  Belgium,  Switzerland, Portugal, 


62  The  Associated  Press. 

and  some  parts  of  South  America;  with  the  Wolf 
Agency  of  Berlin,  which  covers  Germany,  Austria, 
and  Hungary;  with  the  Stefanie  Agency  which  covers 
Italy;  with  the  Nordisches  Telegram  Bureau,  which 
covers  Russia;  with  the  Norsky  Telegram  Bureau, 
which  covers  Norway;  with  the  Svenska  Telegram  Bu 
reau,  covers  Sweden;  and  with  the  Agence  de  Constan- 
tinople, which  covers  Turkey.  The  way  they  operate  is 
this:  Take  for  instance,  the  Stefanie  Agency.  It  gath- 
ers all  the  news  of  Italy  into  Rome,  and  redistrib- 
utes it  to  all  the  cities  of  Italy.  Then  it 
sends  its  budget  of  news  to  London  and  also  to 
Paris,  and  receives  from  each  of  these  places  a  budget, 
which  it,  in  turn,  also  distributes  to  the  different  cities 
of  Italy.  The  Associated  Press  does  the  same.  It 
has  Walter  Neef  in  London,  and  Count  WTolf  VonSch- 
ierbrand  in  Berlin.  All  the  news  that  comes  into 
the  Wolf  Agency  at  Berlin,  Von  Schierbrand  sees,  and 
makes  up  a  budget,  and  telegraphs  it  to  London. 
Renter  gets  his  budget  from  his  different  European 
agencies,  and  Walter  Neef  and  his  staff  look  overReu- 
ter's  dispatches  and  send  to  America  whatever  may 
be  of  interest  here.  This  in  turn  is  sent  to  papers  in 
the  United  States.  Reuter  has  his  agent  in  the  New 
York  Associated  Press  office,  looking  over  its  dispatch- 
es and  sending  back  whatever  may  be  of  interest  to 
Europeans.  By  this  means  there  is  a  perfect  system 
of  exchange  of  news  by  The  Associated  Press  all  over 
the  world.  Then  for  Canada  it  has  an  exchange  ar- 
rangement with  the  Canadian  Pacific  railway  by  which 
that  company  gathers  all  of  the  news  on  its  line  and 
delivers  it  to  The  Associated  Press  at  four  points  in 
this  country — Bangor,  Buffalo,  Detroit,  and  Seattle. 
And  the  association  delivers  its  news  to  them  at  these 
points  for  use  in  Canada. 

The  news  of  the  United  States  chiefly  originates  in 
Washington  and  New  York  the  great  news  centres  of 
this  country.  The  Associated  Press  has  a  resident 


The  Associated  Press.  63 

bureau  in  each  of  these  cities  as  well  as  at  other  im- 
portant pointspreparing  the  news  and  transmitting 
it  by  means  of  leased  wires,  or  by  one  of  the  telegraph 
companies  into  the  general  system.  The  leased  wires 
form  a  network  across  the  continent  from  St.  John,  N. 
B.;  to  Seattle,  Wash.,  and  San  Diego,  CaL,  and 
Duluth,  Minn.,  to  New  Orleans,  Galveston  and  City 
of  Mexico.  The  total  mileage  of  this  leased  wire  sys- 
tem is;  day  wires  9, 345  miles;  night  wires  20,461  miles. 
From  various  points  along  the  trunk  lines  the  report 
is  sent  to  interior  cities,  and  at  several  of  the  larger 
of  them  the  whole  report,  is  condensed  sufficiently  for 
news  paper  columns,  and  filed  (as  a  "pony"  report) 
with  one  of  the  telegraph  companies  for  delivery  to 
papers  in  neighboring  towns  and  smaller  cities  which 
could  not  afford,  nor  handle  the  "full  service".  At 
leased  wire  points,  The  Associated  Press  supplies  its 
own  telegraph  operators  who  receive  the  incoming 
report  in  typewriting,  making  one  or  more  carbon 
copies  according  to  the  number  of  papers  at  that 
point  taking  the  service.  In  the  larger  offices  many 
copies  of  the  received  report  have  to  be  struck  off ,  and 
in  several  offices,  now,  use  is  made  of  a  device  whereby 
the  <>]>tjrntor  sitting  before  his  key,  cuts  a  stencil  on 
a  waxed  sheet  placed  in  his  typewriter  by  means  of 
which  many  copies  of  the  report  can  be  very  quick- 
ly made.  These  copies  are  sent  to  the  various  papers 
(in  Chicago  by  a  pneumatic  system)  and  distributed 
to  the  various  editors  whose  duty  it  may  be  to  re-file 
the  matter  for  some  particular  section  of  the  country 
or  to  cut  it  down  for  "pony"  report  points.  The 
members  of  The  Associated  Press  contributes  a  large 
quantity  of  the  news  thus  handled  by  furnishing  the 
local  representative  of  The  Associated  Press  their 
proofs,  but  in  addition  whenever  special  occasion  re- 
quires it  the  association's  own  reporters  are  sent  out 
to  report  specific  events,  and  they  telegraph  the  news 
they  get  to  the  nearest  office  of  the  association.  Spe- 


64  2hc  Associated  Press. 

cial  men  are  employed  at  different  places  to  gather 
market  reports,  to  cover  Wall  Street  and  the  produce 
markets  and  men  at  the  different  seaports  report  the 
arrival  and  departure  of  boats.  Alliance  is  had  also 
with  many  press  associations  which  gather  local  news, 
and  organizations  that  are  formed  to  co-operate  in 
the  business  of  gathering  news  of  particular  localities. 

For  instance,  there  is  the  City  Press  Association  of 
Chicago,  an  organization  effected  for  the  purpose  of 
gathering  routine  local  news;  a  copy  of  its  report  is 
furnished  The  Associated  Press  every  day,  and  any- 
thing of  general  interest  to  the  country  is  taken  from 
it,  and  transmitted  to  members  of  the  associations 
City  Press  Associations  are  also  established  in  New 
York  and  other  cities.  In  short  The  Associated  Press 
aims  to  avail  itself  of  every  known  means  of  getting 
valuable  news  in  which  discretion  must  necessarily  be 
used  to  give  facts  as  they  are  and  not  as  partisans 
or  extreme  opinionated  men  would  wish  them  to  be 
given.  For  instance  a  Christian  Endeavour  Conven- 
tion or  a  prize  fight  must  be  reported  with  fidelity. 

The  millions  of  newspaper  readers  throughout  the 
wrorld  do  not  hold  The  Associated  Press  responsible 
for  any  thing  more  than  to  give  them  a  manifest  of 
the  worlds  cargo  of  enterprise  in  the  arts  of  peace; 
its  standard  in  morals;  its  evolutions  in  public  opin- 
ions; its  progress  in  science;  its  wars  and  its  diplomacy 
— all  without  special  pleading.  Special  advocacy 
must  be  found  only  in  the  Editor's  columns. 

This  organization  is  composed  of  a  body 
of  men  who  are  deaf  dumb  and  blind  to  the 
sentimentality  or  the  immobility  of  the  world.  Their 
occupation  has  rounded  up  their  character  to  an  im- 
partial judgment  of  all  mankind  whose  actions  they 
mirror  forth  as  an  object  to  behold. 

Albeit,  it  may  be  pertinent  to  sa}'  that  the  Editors 
themselves  have  learned  to  be  cosmopolitan;  the 
most  exalted  of  whom  are  not  jingoes,  but  as  their 


Tlie  City  Press  Association.  65 

sphere  ofini'luenceextends,  feel  a  consciousness  that 
their  responsibilities  enlarge,  and  the  writer  feels 
warranted  in  saying,  that  it  is  not  without  pride  that 
the  intelligent  Editor  sees  his  opinions  omthe  great 
issues  of  the  world  quoted. 

The  Associated  Press  has  now  about  700  members 
and  some  2,500  daily  and  weekly  papers  are  served 
through  minor  agencies.  Though  the  bulk  of  the 
papers  getting  The  Associated  Press  service  are  in 
the  United  States  there  are  upwards  of  fifty  scattered 
through  the  various  provinces  of  Canada,  and  also 
papers  in  Mexico,  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico. 

The  annual  revenues  of  The  Associated  Press,  which 
are  derived  from  assessments  levied  upon  the  news- 
papers served,  exceed  f  1,900,000,  while  the  number 
of  words  daily  received  and  transmitted  at  each  of 
the  more  important  offices  is  over  50,000,  or  the  e- 
quivalent  of  thirty-five  colums  of  average  newspaper. 


THE  CITY  PRESS  ASSOCIATION. 

With  the  growth  of  the  City  of  Chicago  beyond  the 
limits  indicated  by  Fullerton  avenue,  Thirty-ninth 
street  and  Western  avenue;  and  with  rapid  accessions 
to  the  population  of  the  suburban  towns  the  news- 
papers, in  their  desire  to  secure  all  the  local  as  well 
as  general  news,  were  confronted  by  a  difficult  pro- 
blem. Perhaps  no  city  in  the  western  continent  pre- 
sents the  same  demand  for  a  large  and  active  force 
of  reporters  in  the  down  town  district  as  does  Chica- 
go and  as  the  news  territory  widened  in  area  and 
spread  out  to  the  north  and  west  and  south  in  a  de- 
gree which  precedent  in  other  cities  would  not  seem 
to  warrant  by  even  the  rapid  increase  of  population 
it  was  next  to  impossible  to  maintain  and  control  in 


66  TJie  City  Press  Association. 

a  single  newspaper  office  a  reportorial  force  large  en- 
ough to  cover  the  field. 

This  state  of  affairs  created  the  City  Press  Associa- 
tion which  at  first  contracted  to  cover  for  all  the 
newspapers  such  events  in  the  outlying  districts  as 
all  needed  and  all  could  use  without  political  or  oth- 
er coloring.  The  reports  so  secured  by  one  reporter 
were  "manifolded",  several  copies  being  by  an  ingen- 
ious process  made  at  one  writing,  and  one  copy  sent 
to  each  of  the  newspapers. 

The  plan  worked  well  and  the  system  grew.  The 
association  took  up  work  in  each  of  the  suburbs  and 
then  branched  out  more  widely  until  at  the  present 
time  it  has  men  in  all  departments  of  the  municipal 
and  federal  government  and  in  almost  every  center 
where  the  local  news  of  the  day  is  liable  to  be  found. 

It  aims  at  accurate,  uncolored  reports,  a  plain 
report  of  the  news  of  the  day.  It  does  not  give  the  bias 
of  criticism,  politics  or  policy  to  any  matter  it  col- 
lects and  does  not  enter  into  competition  with  the  des- 
criptive writers  on  the  newspapers.  For  these  reasons 
the  association  does  not  handle  politics,  the  drama, 
society  (except  in  a  limited  way)  or  labor.  Its  re- 
port, small  at  first,  has  grown  to  about  50, 000  words 
or  about  35  newspaper  columns  daily,  far  more  than 
the  limits  of  space  permit  any  one  newspaper  to  use. 

In  another  way  the  City  Press  Association  is  of  use 
to  the  newspapers.  In  events  of  great  importance, 
such  as  the  opening  of  the  World's  Columbian  Expo- 
sition, the  Autumn  Festival,  the  Trust  conference  it 
takes  up  the  routine  work,  furnished  a  full  report  of 
the  proceedings,  stenographic  transcripts  of  speeches 
and  the  minor  details,  giving  the  newspapers  a  basis 
on  which  to  make  up  their  accounts  and  leaving  their 
men  free  to  prepare  the  introductions,  make  com- 
ments and  write  descriptive  matter. 

In  election  times  the  Association  takes  charge  of 
the  work  of  collecting  and  compiling  the  returns  and 


The  City  Press  Association.  67 

with  a  large  force  of  clerical  help  and  the  exercise  of  a 
system  which  would  be  impossible  were  each  news- 
paper endeavoring  to  collect  the  same  material  for 
itself,  is  able  to  give  figures  from  the  City  of  Chicago 
and  Cook  County,  undoubtedly  the  most  difficult 
territory  in  the  country  to  handle,  earlier  than  they 
are  given  from  any  other  great  city  in  the  United 
States. 

The  Inter  Ocean,  after  the  national  election  in  1896, 
contrasted  this  advantage  with  those  elections  when 
"it  had  been  impossible  for  any  one  newspaper  to 
cover  the  entire  city"  and  when  faulty  returns  made 
a  complete  report  impossible  on  the  morning  succeed- 
ing the  election.  By  the  work  of  the  association,  it 
said,  all  this  was  changed:  "In  no  previous  election, 
no  matter  how  small,  has  such  speed  been  secured. 
In  no  other  city  is  the  United  States  were  the  pat- 
rons of  the  newspapers  afforded  accurate  news,  with 
the  official  figures,  at  so  early  an  hour." 

The  association,  which  is  a  stock  corporation,  was 
organized  in  August  of  1890  by  the  following  news- 
papers: Tribune,  Inter  Ocean,  Herald,  Daily  News, 
Staats  Zeitung,  Evening  Journal  and  Evening  Post. 
Its  first  board  of  directors  and  officers  were: 
William  Penn  Nixon  (Inter  Ocean),  president;  W.  K. 
Sullivan,  (Evening  Journal),  vice-president;  Victor 
F.  Lawson  (Daily  News),  secretary  and  treasurer; 
James  W.  Scott  (Herald),  R.  W.  Patterson  (Tri- 
bune), Washington  Hesing  (Staats  Zeitung  )and  C. 
McAuliffe  (Evening  Post).  The  active  manager  was 
John  F.  Ballantyne,  then  recently  managing  editor 
of  the  Morning  News,  and  one  of  the  most  pop- 
ular and  best  trained  newspaper  men  in  Chicago. 
He  began  the  service  of  the  association  August  3, 
1890,  establishing  his  offices  on  the  second  floor  of 
the  old  Western  Union  building  at  LaSalle  and  Wash- 
ington streets  where  the  Stock  Exchange  now  stands. 
The  first  executive  committee  of  the  association  re- 


68  The  City  Press  Association. 

mained  the  same,  practically,  ever  since,  Mr.  Nixon 
having  been  annually  reelected  president  and  Mr. 
Lavvson  continuing  as  secretary  and  treasurer. 
The  present  vice-president  and  third  member  of  the 
executive  committee  is  H.  H.  Kohlsaat  (Times-Her- 
ald) and  the  present  board  of  directors  includes:  R. 
W.  Patterson,  W.  H.  Turner  and  C.  M.  Faye. 

The  bureau  idea  in  Chicago  antedated  the  present 
organization,  however.  April  17, 1880,  J.  T.  Sutor 
established  what  he  termed  the  Metropolitan  News 
Service  in  which  he  began  to  show  what  might  be 
done  in  the  way  of  "covering"  routine  matters. 
His  prospectus  showed  that  each  month  in  Chicago 
there  were  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  meetings  of 
various  societies  and  clubs  to  which  the  newspapers 
nearly  all  sent  reporters  and  he  began  by  undertak- 
ing to  look  after  these.  Within  a  few  weeks  he  had 
broadened  his  work  to  include  "justice  courts,"  which 
at  once  brought  him  into  the  wide  field  of  routine 
news,  and  then  he  began  to  co\er  "railroad  routine." 
All  of  this  was  of  assistance  to  the  newspapers  and 
within  a  year  he  had  business  enough  to  quit  repor- 
torialwork  himself  and  employ  six  or  eight  men. 
Among  these  were  George  R.  Wright  and  John  M. 
Russell,  young  students  at  the  old  Chicago  University. 
Wright  and  Russell  entered  into  the  work  with  spirit 
and  determination  and  in  1882  the  City  Press  Asso- 
ciation was  their  personal  property,  Mr.  Sutor  hav- 
ing retired.  The  office  then  and  for  eight  years  after 
was  at  162  Washington  street,  the  present  site  of  the 
Times-Herald  building.  Under  the  management  of 
Wright  and  Russell  the  field  of  the  association  grew 
into,  practically,  that  which  the  present  association 
was  organized  to  cover;  twenty-five  reporters  were  of- 
ten employed  and  the  character  of  the  work  made  it 
a  valuable  adjunct  to  any  news  service. 

When,  in  1890,  most  of  the  news  paper  publishers 
determined  to  establish  an  association  of  their  own, 


The  City  Press  Association.  69 

the  patronage  left  for  the  then  existing  association 
was  very  little.  The  Times,  The  Globe  and  the  Even- 
ing Mail  were  not  members  of  the  new  association 
and  on  the  patronage  of  these  the  old  association  con- 
tinued a  curtailed  service  for  some  time.  A.  S.  Leckie 
and  H.  L.  Sayler,  who  was  employed  by  Wright  and 
Russell  secured  the  control  of  the  older  association 
and  a  year  later  the  two  associations  were  amalgam- 
ated, Mr.  Leckie  and  Mr.  Sayler  assuming  charge  of 
the  single  association  April  26, 1891  and  Mr.  Ballan- 
tyne  withdrawing.  The  management  has  been  the 
same  ever  since.  Two  years  later  the  association  re- 
moved to  the  Western  Union  building  at  Clark  and 
Jackson  streets  where  it  was  installed  in  commodious 
rooms  on  the  same  floor  with  the  Associated  Press 
which  has  always  been  one  of  its  patrons.  From 
this  place  the  most  elaborate  and  first  wholly  success- 
ful system  of  pneumatic  tubes  operated  in  this  coun- 
try was  installed  to  connect  the  association  offices  with 
the  offices  of  various  newspapers  and  branch  offices 
of  the  association  in  the  City  Hall.  Using  its  cooper- 
ative ideas,  the  association  not  only  transmits  its 
own  report  to  its  members  in  this  way — an  almost  in- 
stantaneous service — but  also  forwards  the  full  report 
of  its  neighbor  the  Associated  Press,  and  the  Western 
Union  telegrams  intended  for  the  newspapers.  The 
service  of  the  association  at  present  calls  for  nearly 
(50)employe«  of  all  kinds  and  is  continuous;  the  office 
is  never  closed  and  there  is  no  hour  when  men  are  not 
on  picket  duty  for  the  Chicago  newspapers. 


THE  GREAT  FIRE  OF  1871. 

"A  voice  is  ringing  in  the  air, 

A  tale  is  trembling  on  the  wire, 
The  people  shout  in  wild  despair: 

'Chicago  is  on  fire/  "* 

In  the  year  1871  A.  D.,  and  the  year  38  of  the  ex- 
istence of  Chicago  as  a  city,  on  the  7th,  8th  and  9th 
of  October,  occurred  the  great  fires.  They  mark  an 
episode  in  Chicago  history,  never  to  be  forgotten. 
The  official  census  of  the  city  for  1870  was  298,977. 
Its  population  at  the  time  of  the  fires,  one  year  later, 
at  a  prudent  estimate,  may  be  set  down  eight  per 
cent  more,  making  322,895.  A  small  portion  only 
of  these  were  born  here.  They  had  been  drawn  hit  her 
by  those  incentives  which  the  locality  offered  for  spec- 
ulation, not  only  in  the  rise  of  real  estate,  but  in  the 
facilities  which  the  place  offered  as  an  emporium  for 
the  sale  of  every  kind  of  merchandise,  to  supply  the 
increasing  wants  of  the  great  Northwest  in  the  build- 
ing up  process  in  which  she  was  then,  and  must  still 
for  many  years,  be  engaged,  before  she  will  have  tak- 
en upon  herself  the  conditions  of  political  and  social 
maturity. 

The  extra  stimulus  which  the  war  had  given  to  the 
increase  of  business  in  Chicago  had  subsided,  and  a 
lull  in  that  impulsive  haste  that  had  long  been  a  dis- 
tinguishing feature  here,  had  settled  upon  the  city. 
The  volume  of  staple  business  was  without  diminu- 
tion, the  real  estate  market  was  firm,  and  the  demand 
for  this  important  auxiliary  to  wealth  was  healthy; 
but  yet  there  was  evidently  an  undercurrent  mani- 
fest, in  moneyed  circles,  signifying  that  prices  of  it 
would  not  soon  again  advance,  at  least,  by  any  eccen- 
tric movement.  After  the  war  was  over,  a  general 
expectation  followed  that  prices  for  everything  would 

*  "The  Fall  of  Chicago,"  a  poem  written  by  Mrs.  S.  B.  Olsen,  while  the  fire 
was  burning,  and  published  in  a  pamphlet. 

(70) 


The  Great  Fire  of  1871.  71 

fall  immediately,  and  as  one,  two,  three  and  four 
years  had  passed  without  any  serious  reduction,  eith- 
er in  goods  or  real  estate,  the  people  of  Chicago  had 
begun  to  believe  that  no  such  destiny  was  in  store  for 
them.  Such  was  the  feeling  in  the  spring  of  1871. 

The  latter  part  of  the  summer  and  autumn  follow- 
ing passed  without  rain  in  the  entire  North  west.    The 
whole  country  was  so  exhausted  of  moisture  that  ev- 
en the  night  refused  her  customary  allowance  of  dew 
on  the  vegetation,  and  the  grass  was  crisp  beneath 
the  feet  of  the  hungry  cattle  of  the  pasture.      The 
earth  was  dry  as  ashes  to  the  depth  of  three  feet,  and 
the  peaty  bogs  of  the  marsh  were  as  combustible  as 
the  contents  of  the  furnace.     Southern  winds  prevail- 
ed, bringing  warmth  without  moisture,  and  fanned 
the  forest  into  universal  tinder.    Even  the  summer's 
growth  of  the  prairie  would  feed  a  flame  in  places 
where  it  had  not  been  grazed  down  or  mowed.    Chica- 
go was  not  unlike  the  country  around  in  dryness, 
and,  unfortunately,  the  well-built  buildings  of  stone 
and  brick  which  composed  her  central  portions  were 
partly  surrounded  by  cheap  wooden  buildings,  char- 
acteristic of  all  Western  cities  of  sudden  growth.     It 
was  among  these  that  a  fire  broke  out  a  little  before 
ten  o'clock  on  the  night  of  October?,  1871,  on  Clinton 
street,  near  its  crossing  of  Van  Buren   street,  two 
blocks  west  of  the  river.    Owing  to  the  inflammable 
character  of  the  building  where  it  began,  and  the  strong 
wind  that  blew  directly  from  the  south,  it  quickly 
spread  to  adjacent  buildings,  and  ere  it  could  be  ex- 
tinguished, burnt  over  the  area  lying  between  Van 
Buren  street  on  the  south,  Clinton  on  the  west,  Adams 
on  the  north,  and  the  river  on  the  east,  except  one  or 
two  small  buildings  on  the  outermost  corners  of  the 
blocks. 

This  was  the  largest  fire  that  had  ever  visited  Chica- 
go up  to  this  date. 

The  next  evening,  Sunday  night,  October  8,  about 


72  The  Great  Fire  of  1871. 

the  same  hour,  a  fire  broke  out  six  blocks  south  of 
the  first  fire,  in  a  cow  stable  on  the  north  side  of  De- 
Koven  street,  a  little  east  of  Jefferson.  The  account 
at  the  time  attributed  it  to  the  kicking  over  of  a 
kerosene  lamp  by  a  cow,  while  its  owner,  a  woman 
named  O'Leary,  was  milking  her,  and  in  the  turmoil 
of  the  hour,  this  theory  was  accepted  as  veritable 
truth,  published  in  the  newspapers,  and  even  in  some 
of  the  books  giving  the  history  of  the  fire,  but  no  evi- 
dence can  be  found  to  sustain  it,  while,  on  the  contrary' 
the  following  statement  would  go  to  disprove  it,  or, 
at  least,  involve  the  cause  of  the  fire  in  mystery.  On 
the  folio  wing  morning,  (Monday),  Clinton  S.  Snowden 
then  city  editor  of  the  Chicago  Times,  and  E.  L.  Wake- 
man,  manager  of  the  Louisville  Courier-Journal 
for  Chicago,  while  the  fire  was  yet  consuming  the 
buildings  in  the  North  Division,  visited  the  scene  where 
it  started.  Here  they  found  a  large  crowd  of  excited 
men  speculating  on  its  cause,  and  here  was  the  hut  of 
O'Leary,  with  doors  and  windows  barred,  while  her 
cow  stable,  where  all  the  crowd  supposed  that  the  fire 
originated ,  was  red  uced  to  ashes .  The  two  sight-seers 
now  determined  to  force  a  passage  into  the  O'Leary 
hut,  and  to  this  end  pried  up  one  of  the  back  windows 
with  a  board  and  entered  the  premises. 

They  found  Mrs.  O'Leary  in  a  fearful  state  of  sus- 
pense least  she  should  be  arrested  as  an  incendiary, 
but  somewhat  under  the  influence  of  stimulants  to 
brace  up  her  courage  for  the  occasion.  She  solemnly 
denied  any  knowledge  of  the  cause  of  the  fire,  and  if 
she  knows  its  cause,  without  doubt  she  will  carry  the 
mysterious  burden  while  she  lives.  The  above  cir- 
cumstances are  stated  because  they  describe  the  first 
interviewing  of  Mrs.  O'Leary,  and  both  of  the  gentle- 
men '  were  well-known  journalists  of  Chicago. 

Their  statement  accords  with  the  following,  from 
the  foreman  of  the  first  engine  company  on  the  ground, 
which  is  here  inserted  as  official: 


7  he  Great  fire  of  1871.  73 

CHICAGO,  November  14, 1880. 

Mr.Kufus  Blanchard,  Dear  Sir: — In  compliance  with 
your  request  as  to  the  origin  and  condition  of  the 
great  Chicago  fire,  I  would  state,  that  being  the  first 
officer  at  the  fire,  that  I  received  an  alarm  from  the 
man  in  the  watch-tower  of  engine  company  No. 6,  one 
minute  in  advance  of  the  alarm  given  by  the  watch- 
man in  city  hall  tower.  On  my  arrival  at  the  fire, 
which  was  in  the  alley  bounded  by  Jefferson,  Clinton, 
Taylor  and  DeKoven  streets,  I  discovered  three  or 
more  barns  and  sheds  on  fire. 

I  connected  to  the  nearest  fire  plug,  located  on  the 
corner  of  Jefferson  and  De  Koven  streets,  and  went 
to  work.  As  to  which  barn  the  fire  originated  in, I 
could  not  say. 

As  to  the  fire  not  being  checked  in  its  northward 
progress,  I  would  state  in  explanation,  that  pre- 
vious to  the  great  fire  of  1871,  watchmen  were  sta- 
tioned in  the  city  hall  tower,  to  keep  a  lookout  for 
fires;  and  if  a  fire  was  discovered  by  either  of  the  men, 
he  called  the  operator  on  duty  in  the  fire  alarm  office, 
located  on  the  third  floor  below  the  watch-tower,  and 
instructed  him  what  box  to  strike. 

On  the  evening  of  Oct.  8,  1871,  the  watchman  on 
duty  in  the  city  hall  tower,  discovered  the  fire,  and 
ordered  the  operator  to  strike  a  box  located  one  mile 
southwest  from  the  fire,  which  he  should  have  located 
one  mile  northeast,  and  which  would  have  brought 
the  first  alarm  engines  instead  of  the  second,  which 
responded  to  the  alarm  given  by  watchman,  the  first 
alarm  engines  remaining  at  their  respective  houses. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  state  that  the  above 
are  facts. 

WILLIAM  MUSHAM, 
Foreman  of  Engine  Co.  No. 6. 

What  might  have  been  its  cause,  there  is  no  reason- 
able suspicion  that  it  was  the  result  of  incendiarism. 


74  The  Great  Fire  of      1871. 

Before  the  strong  south-westerly  wind  which  was  then 
blowing,  it  penetrated  diagonally  across  block  after 
block,  at  first  cutting  a  swath  about  80  feet  wide, 
gradually  increasing  in  width  in  passing  through  the 
cheap  wooden  buildings  in  its  track,  leaving  behind  a 
fiery  wake,  making  slow  but  sure  inroads,  laterally 
on  both  sides.  At  11: 30  it  had  reached  the  open  ruins 
of  the  previous  night's  devastations.  Though  up  to 
this  time  the  utmost  exertions  of  the  firemen  were  un- 
availing against  the  progress  of  the  flames,  it  was 
hoped  that  the  broad  space  burnt  the  night  before 
would  arrest  the  northern  progress  of  the  fire,  and 
the  river  its  eastern  progress.  But  by  this  time 
it  had  attacked  the  planing  mills  and  various  manu- 
factures of  lumber  along  the  west  side  of  the  river,  be- 
tween Taylor  and  Van  Buren  streets,  and  a  living- 
mass  of  fire,  covering  a  hundred  acres  of  combustibles, 
shot  up  into  the  clouds,  lightingup  the  midnight  hour 
with  a  sheet  of  fla.me,  which  dashed  hope  of  arresting 
its  career  to  the  ground.  At  one  bound  the  wind  car- 
ried burning  brands,  not  only  across  the  river,  but 
even  to  Franklin  Street.  These  newly  kindled  fires 
immediately  spread,  and  the  South  Side  was  ablaze; 
and  now  it  assumed  proportions  that  exceeded  in 
magnitude  its  intensity  thus  far.  The  whole  South 
Division  was  now  thoroughly  alarmed,  it  being  evident 
that  not  only  the  entire  business  area  of  the  city 
must  burn,  but  nearly  the  entire  North  Division  lay 
in  the  track  of  the  destroyer  in  its  irresistible  pro- 
gress before  the  wind.  Still  a  ray  of  hope  was  left  to 
the  North-siders,  and  to  the  owners  of  the  Tribune 
building  also,  which  was  supposed  to  be  fire  proof. 
This  hope  was  dispelled  two  hours  later,  as  will  ap- 
pear from  the  following  account,  written  in  Sheahan 
&  Upton's  History,  from  notes  as  they  viewed  the 
scene  from  the  upper  windows  of  the  Tribune  building: 
"About  one  o'clock,  a  cloud  of  black  smoke  rose  in 
the  south-west,  which,  colored  by  the  lurid  glare  of 


The  Great  Fire  0/1871.  75 

the  flames,  presented  a  remarkable  picture.  Due  west 
another  column  of  smoke  and  fire  rose,  \vhile  the 
north  was  lighted  with  flying  cinders  and  destructive 
brands.  In  ten  minutes  more,  the  whole  horizon  to 
the  west,  as  far  as  could  be  seen  from  the  windows, 
was  a  fire  cloud  with  flames  leaping  up  along  the 
whole  line,  just  showing  their  heads  and  subsiding 
from  view  like  tongues  of  snakes.  Five  minutes  more 
wrought  a  change.  Peal  after  peal  was  sounded  from 
the  Court  House  bell.  The  fire  was  on  La  Salle  street, 
had  swept  north,  and  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  began 
to  belch  forth  smoke  and  flame  from  windows  and  venti- 
lators. The  east  wing  of  the  Court  House  was  alight: 
then  the  west  wing;  the  tower  was  blazing  on  the 
south  side,  and  at  two  o'clock  the  whole  building 
was  in  a  sheet  of  flame.  The  Chamber  of  Commerce 
burned  with  a  bright  steady  flame.  The  smoke  in 
front  grew  denser  for  a  minute  or  two,  and  then  burst- 
ing into  a  blaze  from  Monroe  to  Madison  streets,  pro- 
claimed that  Farwell  Hall  and  the  buildings  north 
and  south  of  it  were  on  fire.  At  2.10  o'clock  the 
Court  House  tower  was  a  glorious  sight.  At  2.15 
o'clock  the  tower  fell,  and  in  two  minutes  more  a  crash 
announced  the  fall  of  interior  of  t  he  building.  The 
windows  of  the  office  were  hot,  and  the  flames  gave 
a  light  almost  dazzling  in  its  intensity.  It  became  e\  i- 
dent  that  the  whole  block  from  Clark  to  Dearborn, 
and  from  Monroe  to  Madison,  must  go;  that  the  block 
from  Madison  to  Washington  must  follow;  Portland 
Block  was  ablaze,  while  every-thing  from  Clark  to 
Dearborn,  on  Washington  street,  was  on  fire.  At  2:30 
the  fire  was  half-way  down  Madison  street;  the 
wind  blew  a  hurricane;  the  firebrands  were  hurled  a- 
ong  the  gr  ound  with  incredible  force  against  every- 
thing that  stood  in  their  way.  Then  the  flames  shot 
up  in  the  rear  of  Reynold's  block,  and  the  Tribune 
building  seemed  doomed.  An  effort  was  made  to  save 
the  files  and  other  valuables,  which  were  moved  into 


76  The  Great  Fire  of  1871. 

the  composing  room,  but  the  building  stood  like  a  rock, 
lashed  on  both  sides  by  raging  waves  of  flame, 
and  it  was  abandoned.  It  was  a  fire  proof  building; 
and  there  were  not  a  few  who  expected  to  see  it  stand 
the  shock.  The  greatest  possible  anxiety  was  felt  for 
it,  as  it  was  the  key  to  the  whole  block,  including  Me 
Vicker's  Theatre,  and  protected  State  street  and  Wa- 
bash  and  Michigan  avenues,  north  of  Madison  street. 
When  the  walls  of  Keynolds'  Block  fell,  and  Cobb's 
building  was  no  more,  the  prospects  of  its  standing 
were  good.  Several  persons  were  up-stairs  and  found 
it  cool  and  pleasant—quite  a  refreshing  haven  from 
the  hurricane  of  smoke,  dust  and  cinders  that  assail- 
ed the  eyes. 

"Meanwhile  the  fire  had  swept  along  northward 
and  eastward.  The  Briggs  House,  the  Sherman 
House,  the  Tremont  House,  had  fallen  in  a  few  min- 
utes. The  bridges  from  Wells  to  Hush  street  were 
burning;  the  Northwestern  Depot  was  in  a  blaze,  and 
from  Van  Buren  street  on  the  south,  far  over  into 
the  north  side,  from  the  river  to  Dearborn  street,  the 
whole  country  was  a  mass  of  smoke,  flames  and  ruin. 
It  seems  as  if  the  city  east  of  Dearborn  street  and  to 
the  river  would  be  saved.  The  hope  was  strength- 
ened when  the  walls  fell  of  Honore's  noble  block  with- 
out igniting  that  standing  opposite.  The  vacant  lot 
to  the  south  seemed  to  protect  it,  and  at  seven  o'- 
clock on  Monday  morning  the  whole  of  the  region 
designated  was  considered  saved',  no  fire  being  visible 
except  a  smouldering  fire  in  the  barber's  shop  under 
the  Tribune  office,  which  being  confined  in  brick  walls, 
was  not  considered  dangerous.  Every  effort  was 
made  to  quench  it,  but  the  water  works  had  burned, 
and  the  absence  of  water,  while  it  announced  how  far 
north  the  flames  had  reached,  forbade  any  hope  of 
quenching  the  fire  below. 

There  was  one  remarkable  turning  point  in  this 
fire,  in  which  everything  was  remarkable;  and  that 


The  Great  Fire  of   1871.  77 

was  at  Madison  street  bridge,  where  every  one  expect- 
ed to  see  the  fire  re-cross  to  the  west  side,  and  corn- 
men  ce  upon  a  new  path  of  destruction.  Directly  a- 
cross  this  bridge  were  the  Oriental  Flouring  Mills, 
which  were  saved  from  destruction  by  the  immense 
steam  force  pump  attached  to  the  mill,  by  which  a 
powerful  stream  of  water  was  thrown  upon  the  exposed 
property,  hour  after  hour.  This  pump  undoubtedly 
saved  the  West  Division  from  a  terrible  conflagration, 
for  if  the  Oriental  Mills  had  burned,  the  combustible 
nature  of  the  adjoining  buildings  and  adjacent  lum- 
ber yards  would  have  insured  a  scene  of  devastation 
t  o.o  heart-sickening  for  contemplation. 

The  scene  presented  when  the  fire  was  at  its  hight  in 
the  South  Division,  is  well  nigh  indescribable.  The 
huge  stone  and  brick  structures  melted  before  the 
fierceness  of  the  flames  as  a  snow-flake  melts  and  dis- 
appears in  water,  and  almost  as  quickly.  Six-story 
buildings  would  take  fire,  and  disappear  for  ever  from 
sight,  in  five  minutes  by  the  watch.  In  nearly  every 
street  the  flames  would  enter  at  the  rears  of  buildings, 
and  appear  simultaneously  at  the  fronts.  For  an  in- 
stant the  windows  would  redden,  then  great  billows 
of  fire  would  belch  out,  and  meeting  each  other,  shoot 
up  into  the  air  a  vivid  quivering  column  of  flame, 
and  poising  itself  in  awful  majesty,  hurl  itself  bodily 
several  hundred  feet ,  and  kindle  new  buildings.  The 
intense  heat  created  new  currents  of  air.  The  general 
direction  of  the  wind  was  from  the  southwest.  This 
main  current  carried  the  fire  straight  through  the  city, 
from  southwest  to  north-east,  cutting  a  swath  a 
mile  in  width,  and  then,  as  if  maddened  at  missing 
any  of  its  prey,  it  would  turn  backward,  in  its  frenzy, 
and  face  the  fierce  wind,  mowing  one  huge  field  on 
the  wrest  of  the  North  Division,  while  in  the  South 
Division  it  also  doubled  on  its  track  at  the  great  Un- 
ion Central  Depot,  and  burned  half  a  mile  southward 
in  the  very  teeth  of  the  gale — a  gale  which  blew  a  per- 


78  Zhe  Great  fire  of  1871. 

feet  tornado,  and  in  which  no  vessel  could  have  lived 
on  the  lake.  The  flames  sometimes  made  glowing- 
diagonal  arches  across  the  streets,  traversed  by 
whirls  of  smoke.  At  times,  the  wind  would  seize  the 
entire  volume  of  fire  on  the  front  of  one  of  the  large 
blocks,  detach  it  entirely  and  hurl  it  in  every  direc- 
tion, in  fierce  masses  of  flame,  leaving  the  building  as 
if  it  had  been  untouched — for  an  instant  only,  how- 
ever, for  fresh  gusts  would  once  more  wrap  them  in 
sheets  of  fire.  The  whole  air  was  filled  with  glowing 
cinders,  looking  like  an  illuminated  snow  storm.  At 
times  capricious  flurries  of  the  gale  would  seize  these, 
flying  messengers  of  destruction  and  dash  them  down 
to  the  earth,  hurrying  them  over  the  pavements 
with  lightning-like  rapidity,  firing  every-thing  they 
touched.  Interspersed  among  these  cinders  were  lar- 
ger brands,  covered  with  flame,  which  the  wind  dashed 
through  windows  and  upon  awnings  and  roofs,  kind- 
ling new  fires.  Strange,  fantastic  fires  of  blue,  red 
and  green,  played  along  the  cornices  of  the  buildings. 
On  the  banks  of  the  river,  red  hot  walls  fell  hissing 
into  the  water,  sending  up  great  columns  of  spray 
and  exposing  the  fierce  white  furnace  of  heat,  which 
they  had  enclosed.  The  huge  piles  of  coal  emitted 
dense  billows  of  smoke  which  hurried  along  far  above 
the  flames  below.  If  the  sight  was  grand  and  over- 
powering, the  sound  was  no  less  so .  The  flames  crack- 
led, growled  and  hissed.  The  lime  stone,  of  which  ma- 
ny of  the  buildings  were  composed,  as  soon  as  it  was 
exposed  to  heat  flaked  off,  the  fragments  flew  in  every 
direction,  with  a  noise  like  that  of  continuous  discharg- 
es of  musketry.  Almost  every  instant  was  added  the 
dull,  heavy  thud  of  falling  walls,  which  shook  the 
earth.  But  above  all  these  sounds,  there  was  one 
other  which  was  terribly  fascinating;  it  was  the  steady 
roar  of  the  advancing  flames — the  awful  diapason  in 
this  carnival  of  fire.  It  was  like  nothing  so  much  as 
the  united  roar  of  the  ocean  with  thehowlof  the  blast 


The  Great  Fire  0/1871.  79 

on  some  stormy,  rocky  coast. 

Great  calamities  always  develop  latent  passions,  e- 
motions.  and  traits  of  character,  hitherto  concealed. 
In  this  case,  there  was  a  world-wide  difference  in  the 
manner  in  which  men  witnessed  the  destruction  of  all 
about  them.    Some  were  philosophical,  even  merry, 
and  witnessed  the  loss  of  their  own  property  with  a 
calm  shrug  of  the  shoulders,  although  the  loss  was  to 
bring  upon  them  irretrievable  ruin.    Others  clenched 
their  teeth  together,  and  witnessed  the  sight  with  a 
sort  of  grim  defiance.    Others,  who  were  strong  men, 
stood  in  tears,  and  some  became  fairly  frenzied  with 
excitement,  and  rushed  about  in  an  aimless  manner, 
doing  exactly  what  they  would  not  have  done  in  their 
cooler  moments,  and  almost  too  delirous  to  save 
their  own  lives  from  the  general  wreck.     Of  course, 
the  utmost  disorder  and  excitement  prevailed,  for 
nearly  every  one  was  in  some  degree  demoralized,  and 
in  the  absence  both  of  gas  and  water,  had  given  up 
the  entire  city  to  its  doom.    Mobs  of  men  and  women 
rushed  wildly  from  street  to  street,  screaming,  gestic- 
ulating and  shouting,  crossing  each  other's  paths, 
and  intercepting  each  other  as  if  just  escaped  from  a 
mad  house.    The  yards  and  sidewalk  of  Michigan  and 
Wabash  avenues  for  a  distance  of  two  miles  south  of 
the  fire  limit  in  the  South  Division,  were  choked  with 
household  goods  of  every  description — the  contents 
of  hovels  and  the  contents  of  aristocratic  residences, 
huddled  together  in  inextricable  confusion.     Elegant 
ladies  who  hardly  supposed  them  selves  able  to  lift  the 
weight  of  a  pincushion,   astonished  themselves  by 
dragging  trunks,  and  carrying  heavy  loads  of  pictur- 
es and  ornamental  furniture  for  a  long  distance.  Some 
adorned  themselves  with  all  their  jewlery,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  saving  it,  and  struggled  along  through  the 
crowds,  perhaps  only  to  lose  it  at  the  hands  of  some 
ruffian.    Delicate  girls,  with  red  eyes  and  blackened 
faces,  toiled  hour  after  hour,  to  save  household  goods. 


8o  The  Great  Fire  of  1871. 

Poor  women  staggered  along  with  their  arms  full  of 
homely  household  wares    and  mattresses  on  their 
heads,  which  sometimes  took  fire  as  they  were  carry- 
ing them.    Every  few  steps  along  the  avenues  were 
little  piles  of  household  property,  or,  perhaps,  only  a 
trunk,  guarded  by  children,  some  of  whom  were  weep- 
ing, and  others  laughing  and  playing.     Here  was  a 
man  sitting  upon  what  he  had  saved,  bereft  of  his 
senses,  looking  at  the  motley  throng  with  staring, 
vacant  eyes;  here,  a  woman,  weeping  and  tearing  her 
hair  and  calling  for  her  children  in  utter  despair; 
here,  children,  hand-in-hand,  separated  from  their 
parents,  and  crying  with  the  heart-breaking  sorrow 
of  childhood;  here  a  woman,  kneeling  on  the  hot 
ground  and  praying,  with  her  crucifix  before  her. 
.One  family  had  saved  a  coffee-pot  and  chest  of  draw- 
ers, and  raking  together  the  falling  embers  in  the 
street,  were  boiling  their  coffee  as  cheerily  as  if  at 
home.    Barrels  of  If  quor  were  rolled  into  the  streets 
from  the  saloons.    The  heads  were  speedily  knocked 
in,  and  men  and  boys  drank  to  excess,  and  staggered 
about  the  streets.    Some  must  have  miserably  perish- 
ed in  the  flames,  while  others  wandered  away  into  the 
unburned  district,  and  slept  a  drunken  sleep  upon  the 
sidewalks  and  in  door-yards.    Thieves  pursued  their 
profession  with  perfect  impunity.     Lake  street  and 
Clark  street  were  rich  with  treasure,  and  hordes  of 
thieves  entered  the  stores,  and  flung  out  goods  to 
their  fellows,  who  bore  them  away  without  opposition. 
Wabash  avenue  was  literally  choked  up  with  goods 
of  every  description.    Every  one  who  had  been  forced 
from  the  burning  portion  of  the  division  had  brought 
some  articles  with  them,  and  been  forced  to  drop 
some,  or  all  of  them.    Valuable  oil  paintings,  books, 
pet  animals,  instruments,  toys,  mirrors,   bedding, 
and  ornamental  and  useful  articles  of  every  kind, 
were  trampled  under  foot  by  the  hurrying  crowds. 
The  streets  leading  southward  from  the  fire  were 


The  Great  Fire  0/1871.  81 

jammed  with  vehicles  of  every  description,  all  driven 
along  at  top  speed.  Not  only  the  goods  which  were 
deposited  in  the  streets  took  fire,  but  wagon  loads  of 
stuff  in  transit,  also  kindled,  and  the  drivers  were  o- 
bliged  to  cut  the  traces  to  save  the  animals.  There  was 
fire  overhead,  everywhere,  not  only  on  the  low,  red 
clouds,  which  rolled  along  the  roofs,  but  in  the 
air  itself,  filled  with  millions  of  blazing  fagots,  that 
carried  destruction  wherever  they  fell.  Those  who  did 
rescue  any  thing,  from  the  burning  buildings,  were  oblig- 
ed to  defend  it  at  the  risk  of  their  lives.  Expressmen  and 
owners  of  every  description  of  wagons,  were  extortion- 
ate in  their  demands,  asking  from  twenty  to  fifty 
dollars  for  conveying  a  small  load  a  few  blocks.  Even 
then  there  was  no  surety  that  the  goods  would  reach 
their  place  of  destination,  as  they  were  often  followed 
by  howling  crowds,  who  would  snatch  the  goods  from 
the  wagons.  Sometimes,  thieves  got  possession  of 
vehicles,  and  drove  off  with  rich  loads  of  dry  goods, 
jewelry,  or  merchandise,  to  "out-of-the-way  places." 

As  early  as  three  o'clock,  on  the  morning  of  the  9th, 
the  fire  attacked  the  North  Side.  It  has  riot  been  def- 
initely known  where  it  first  began,  but  it  is  certain 
that  the  Water  Works,  a  mile  distant  from  any  por- 
tion of  the  blazing  South  Side,  were  among  the  first 
buildings  visited;  and  their  speedy  destruction,  cutting 
off  the  water  supply,  all  hopes  of  extinguishing  the 
fire  fled.  Two  large  elevators  on  the  north  bank  of 
the  river  were  also  in  flames  immediately  afterwards, 
and  the  wretched  inhabitants  living  east  of  Franklin 
st.,  beheld  with  dismay  the  approach  of  the  destroyer 
both  in  front  and  rear.  Suddenly  the  entire  popula- 
tion seized  the  most  valuable  things  they  could  carry, 
and  fled,  either  to  the  lake  shore,  or  westward  across 
the  river,  or  directly  before  the  pur  suing  enemy,  north- 
wardly out  Clark  or  Wells  Street.  Says  Mr.  Colbert: 
"A  terrible  panic  ensued.  There  was  sudden  scream- 
ing and  dashing  about  of  half-clad  women,  gathering 


82  'Hie  Great  fire  of  1871. 

up  such  valuables  as  could  be  suddenly  snatched. 
There  was  frantic  rushing  into  the  streets  and  shout- 
ing for  vehicles. '  There  was  anxious  inquiry  and  anon 
distressed  cries  for  absent  protectors — a  large  portion 
of  the  men  being  on  the  far  side  of  the  river,  and  in 
many  cases  unable  to  reach  their  homes.  Then  there 
was  a  pell-mell  rush  through  the  streets,  some  of  the 
wild  faces  pushed  eagerly  in  this  direction  and  others 
quite  as  eagerly  in  the  opposite;  and  children  scream- 
ing; and  shouts  resounding;  and  brands  falling  in 
showers;  and  truckmen  running  each  other  down; 
and  half  drunken,wholly  desperate  ruffians  peering  into 
doors  and  seizing  valuables,  and  insulting  women; 
and  oaths  from  lips  unused  to  them,  as  hot  as  the 
flames  which  leaped  and  crackled  near  by;  and  pray- 
ers from  manly  breasts  where  they  had  slumbered 
since  childhood;  and  every  other  sign  of  turmoil  and 
terror." 

Those  who  took  refuge  on  the  sands  of  the  lake-shore, 
found  it  a  treacherous  asylum.  There  was  no  escape 
to  the  northward,  for  the  narrow  passes,  farther  in 
that  direction,  were  a  sweltering  current  of  hot  air 
pouring  over  the  crested  margin  of  the  lake,  like  the 
vomiting  of  a  furnace.  Meantime  the  heat  soon  began 
to  be  almost  insupportable  where  they  were,  and  in 
this  extremity,  art  places,  they  were  forced  into  the 
shallow  water  of  the  lake  to  protect  themselves  from 
burning,  till  they  could  be  rescued  in  boats. 

By  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  9th,  the  fire 
had  burned  out.  Its  progress  against  the  wind  on 
the  South  Side  was  arrested  by  the  efforts  of  private 
citizens  and  a  small  military  force  under  Gen.  Sheridan; 
but  on  the  North  Side  it  burned  as  long  as  buildings 
stood  before  it,  and  died  away  on  open  prairies  for 
want  of  fuel. 

In  its  early  stages,  after  the  flames  had  crossed  the  riv- 
er, and  were  rapidly  devouring  the  business  p  ortion  of 
the  city  in  the  South  Division,  Lind  Block,  on  the  west 


1  he  Great  Fire  of  1871.  83 

side  of  Market  Street,  between  Randolph  and  Lake, 
bty  dint  of  great  exertion  on  the  part  of  some  tenants, 
successfully  resisted  them.  The  well  known  house  of 
Fuller  &  Fuller  occupied  the  central  portion  of  this 
block;  and  in  reply  to  the  writer's  inquiry  how  it  was 
saved,  Mr.  O.F.  Fuller  stated  that  while  the  fire  was 
burning  on  the  West  Side,  and  approaching  towards 
them,  they  took  the  precaution  to  provide  an  abund- 
ant supply  of  water  on  each  floor  of  their  premises, 
and  constantly  applied  it  to  the  most  exposed  portions 
of  the  building  when  the  fire  reached  their  inmediate 
vicinity,  having  previously  cut  away  wooden  signs 
or  any  other  combustable  material  outside.  During 
the  greatest  heat  the  outside  walls  of  the  block  were 
too  hot  to  bear  the  hand  on,  but  still  every  man  re- 
mained at  his  post  inside  on  eacn  floor,  subject  to  the 
order  of  a  sentinel,  whose  business  it  was  to  call  them 
away  if  the  building  ignited.  Three  times  a  retreat 
was  ordered,  under  an  impression  that  combustion 
had  taken  place,  but  happily  this  impression  was  a 
false  alarm,  growing  out  of  the  lurid  glare  from  adja- 
cent flames,  reflected  from  the  windows  of  the  building', 
and  each  time  the  men  returned  to  their  posts,  where 
they  continued  to  ply  water  to  the  heated  windows, 
while  it  was  raging. 

"Fire  to  right  of  them, 
Fire  to  left  of  them, 
Fire  in  front  of  them." 

Said  Mr.  Fuller:  "The  fire,  viewed  from  roof  of  the 
Lind  Block,  at  this  time,  presented  phases  of  thrilling- 
interest.  At  two  o'clock  a.m.,  Market  street  and  the 
approaches  to  Lake  and  Randolph  street  bridges 
were  crowded  with  loaded  vehicles  hurrying  to  the 
West  Side,  and  this  retreat  grew  into  a  stampede  when 
the  Garden  tity  hotel,  and  the  buildings  on  the  East 
side  of  Market  street,  from  Madison  to  South  Water, 


84  The  Great  Fire  0/1871. 

ignited.    After  burning  fiercely  for  but  a  brief  space 
of  time,  they  fell  in  quick  succession  in  the  general 


rum.' 


The  next  morning  when  the  light  of  the  sun  was 
piercing  through  the  smoke  and  flames  that  now  en- 
shrouded the  entire  business  portion  of  the  South  Di- 
vision, there  stood  Lind  Block,  a  solitary  relic  of  its 
former  grandeur.  Beyond  it,  toward  the  East,  the 
eye  could  catch  transient  glimpses  of  many  a  grim 
old  ruin  in  its  ragged  deformity,  amidst  the  accumu- 
lating clouds  of  smoke  that  rose  to  the  sky  in  dissolv- 
ing forms,  and  told  the  tale  of  destruction.  Besides 
Lind  Block  in  the  South  Division,  the  house  of  Mahlon 
B.  Ogden,  in  the  central  track  of  the  fire  in  the  North 
Division,  was  saved,  while  all  else  around  it  was  left 
in  ashes. 

Mr.  Ogden,  shortly  after  the  fire,  informed  the 
writer  that  he  remained  in  his  house  as  long  as 
he  could  without  being  surrounded  by  fire,  when 
he,  with  his  family,  retreated  with  the  crowd; 
but  that  he  kept  the  roof  of  his  house  cov- 
ered with  wet  carpets  while  he  was  in  it,  and  it  be- 
ing in  the  inside  of  a  square,  with  trees  all  around,  as 
if  by  a  miracle,  it  did  not  burn. 

No  attempt  will  here  be  made  to  record  personal 
incidents  of  the  fire.  These  are  almost  infinite,  and 
their  records  may  be  found  in  the  several  large  vol- 
umes published  immediately  after  the  fire,  but  the  fol- 
lowing account  of  the  action  of  the  city  authorities, 
taken  from  the  Report  of  the  Chicago  Relief  and  Aid 
Society,  is  an  historical  document  which  shows  the 
elastic  force  of  the  people  of  Chicago,  in  their  prompt- 
ness to  grapple  with  the  duties  before  them: 

"The  homeless  people  of  the  South  Side  were  forthe 
most  part  received  into  the  abodes  of  their  more  for- 
tunate neighbors,  or  taken  to  the  hearts  and  hospi- 
talities of  those  to  whom  a  day  before  they  were  utter 
strangers,  without  formalities  or  ceremonies,  for  a 


The  Great  Fire  0/1871.  85 

kindred  sorrow  which  had  left  no  human  interest  un- 
touched had  done  its  work. 

"Those  of  the  North  Division  had  betaken  them- 
selves for  the  night  to  the  sands  of  the  lake  shore, 
to  Lincoln  and  other  parks,  and  the  prairies. 
Comparatively  few  had  found  shelter  for  the  night. 

* 'Those  of  the  West  Division  who  were  left  homeless 
were  for  the  most  part  sheltered  in  churches  and 
school-houses,  and  on  the  prairies  northwest  of 
the  city.  Comparatively  few  of  those  who  had  fled 
before  the  flames,  had  tasted  food  since  early  Sunday 
evening,  and  hunger  came  to  them  to  add  its  terrors 
to  those  of  exposure,  and  in  many  instances  a/ppre- 
hension  of  death. 

''Then  came  the  greatest  terror  of  all,  the  con- 
sciousness of  the  fact  that  families  had  been  separated; 
husbands  and  wives,  parents  and  children  were  miss- 
ing. The  flight  had  been  so  rapid ,  and  in  alldirections 
the  thoroughfares  had  been  so  obstructed,  and  in* 
some  cases  utterly  impassable,  by  the  crowding  of 
vehicles  and  masses  of  people,  and  the  city  itself  a  wave 
of  fire — it  is  no  marvel  that  under  these  circumstan- 
ces, thousands  for  the  time  were  lost  sight  of,  and  be- 
came lonely  wanderers,  and  that  hundreds  perished 
in  the  flames. 

"The  seeds  of  permanent  or  temporary  disease  sown, 
the  bodily  suffering  and  mental  anguish  endured,  can 
never  have  statistical  computation,  or  adequate  de- 
scription. 

"The  bodies  of  the  dead,  not  less  than  three  hundred 
in  number,  who  perished  in  the  flames,  were  given  in- 
terment at  the  county  burying  ground. 

"The  city  authorities  were  prompt,  in  their  endeavors 
to  bring  order  out  of  the  chaos  which,  in  some  meas- 
ure, we  have  assayed  to  describe.  The  Mayor  tele- 
graphed to  neighboring  cities,  first  of  all,  for  engines 
to  help  stay  the  ravages  of  the  fire,  and  for  bread  to 
feed  the  homeless  and  destitute." 


86  1  he  Great  Fire  of  1871. 

A  council  of  city  officers  was  held,  who  issued  and 
signed  the  folio  wing,  which  was  the  first  proclamation 
from  the  Mayor  and  Government: 

PROCLAMATION. 

WHEREAS,  In  the  providence  of  God,  to  whose  will  we  humbly  submit,  a  terri- 
ble calamity  has  befallen  our  city,  which  demands  of  us  cur  best  efforts  for  the 
preservation  of  order  and  the  relief  of  suffering: 

Be  it  known,  That  the  faith  and  credit  of  the  city  of  Chicago  are  hereby 
pledged  for  the  necessary  expenses  for  the  relief  of  the  suffering. 

Public  order  will  be  preserved.  The  police  and  special  police  now  being  ap- 
pointed will  be  responsible  for  the  maintenance  of  the  peace  and  the  protection 
of  property. 

All  officers  and  men  of  the  Fire  Department  and  Health  Department  will  act 
as  special  policemen  without  further  notice. 

The  Mayor  and  Comptroller  will  give  vouchers  for  all  supplies  furnished  by 
the  different  relief  committees. 

The  headquarters  of  the  City  Government  will  be  at  the  Congregational 
Church,  corner  of  West  Washington  and  Ann  streets. 

All  persons  are  warned  against  any  act  tending  to  endanger  property.  Per- 
sons caught  in  any  depredation  will  be  immediately  arrested. 

With  the  help  of  God,  order  and  peace  and  private  property  will  be  preserved. 
•  The  City  Government  and  the  committee  of  citizens  pledge  themselves  to  the 
community  to  protect  them,  and  prepare  the  way  for  a  restoration  of  public  and 
private  welfare. 

It  is  believed  the  fire  has  spent  its  force,  and  all  will  soon  be  well. 
R.  B.  MASON,  Mayor. 
GEORGE  TAYLOR.  Comptroller. 

(By  R.  B.  MASON.) 

CHARLES  C.  P.  HOLDEN,  President  Common  Council. 
T.  B.  BROWN,  President  Board  of  Police. 
October  9,  1871,2  p.  m. 

Promptly  following  the  above  proclamation,  and 
growing  out  of  the  exigencies  of  the  day,  or  the  hour, 
as  it  came,  others  were  issued;  and  no  better  account 
of  the  action  of  the  municipal  government  can  be  giv- 
en than  that  which  is  contained  m  these  several  offi- 
cial papers,  and  therefore,  without  comment,  which 
would  be  needless,  the  text  of  these  proclamations, 
which  in  some  instances  were  only  fly-sheets,  is  herein 
given. 

BREAD  ORDNANCE.— NOTICE. 

CHICAGO,  October  10,  1871. 


flhe  Great  Fire  of  1871.  87 

The  following  ordinance  was  passed  at  a  meeting  of  the  Common  Council  of 
the  city  of  Chicago,  on  the  loth  day  of  October,  A.  D..  1871: 

AN  ORDINANCE. 

Be  it  ordained  by  the  Common  Council  of  the  City  of  Chicago: — 

SECTION  1 .  That  the  price  of  bread  in  the  City  of  Chicago  for  the  next  ten  days 
is  hereby  fixed  and  established  at  eight  [8]  cents  per  loaf  of  twelve  ounces,  and 
at  the  same  rate  foiloavesof  less  or  greater  weight. 

SEC.  2.  Any  person  selling  or  attempting  to  sell  any  bread  within  the  limits  of 
the  City  of  Chicago,  within  said  ten  days,  at  a  greater  price  than  is  fixed  in  this 
ordinance,  shall  be  liable  to  a  penalty  of  ten  [10]  dollars  for  each  and  every 
offense,  to  be  collected  as  other  penalties  for  violation  of  City  Ordinances. 

SEC.  3.  This  Ordinance  shall  be  in  full  force  and  effect  from  and  after  its 
passage. 

APPROVED  OCTOBER  10,  1871. 

Attest:  R.  B.  MASON,  Mayor. 

C.  T.  HOTCHKISS,  City  Clerk. 

MAYOR'S  PROCLAMATION- 
ADVISORY  AND  PRECAUTIONARY. 

1.  All  citizens  are  requested  to  exercise  great  caution  in  the  use   of  fire  in 
their  dwellings,  and  not  to  use  kerosene  lights  at  present,   as  the  city  will  be 
without  a  full  supply  of  water  for  probably  two  or  three  days. 

2.  The  following  bridges  are  passable,  to  wit:  All  bridges  (except  Van  Buren 
and  Adams  streets)  from  Lake   street  south,  and  all  bridges  over  the   North 
Branch  of  the  Chicago  River. 

3.  All  good  citizens  who  are  willing  to  serve  are  requested  to  report  at  the 
corner  of  Ann  and  Washington  streets,  to  be  sworn  in  as  special  policemen. 

Citizens  are  requested  to  organize  a  police  for  each  block  in  the  city,  and  to 
send  reports  of  such  organization  to  the  police  headquarters,  corner  of  Union 
and  West  Madison  streets. 

All  persons  needing  food  will  be  relieved  by  applying  at  the  following  places:- 

At  the  corner  of  Ann  and  Washington;   Illinois  Central  Railroad  Roundhouse. 

M.  S.  R.  R. — Twenty-second  Street  station. 

C.  B.  &  Q.  R.  R.— Canal  Street  Depot. 

St.  L.  &  A.  R.  R.— Near  Sixteenth  Street. 

C.  &  N.  W.  R.  R.— Corner  of  Kinzie  and  Canal  streets. 

All  the  public  school-houses,  and  at  nearly  all  the  churches. 

4.  Citizens  are  requested  to  avoid  passing   through  the   burnt   districts   until 
the  dangerous  walls  left  standing  can  be  leveled. 

5.  All  saloons  are  ordered  to  be  closed  at  9  p.  m.  every   day   for  one   week, 
under  a  penalty  of  forfeiture  of  license. 

6.  The  Common  Council  have  this  day  by  ordinance  fixed  the  price  of  bread 
at  eight  [8]  cents  per  loaf  of  twelve  ounces,  and  at  the  same  rate  for  loaves  of  a 
less  or  greater  weight,  and  affixed  a  penalty  of  ten  dollars  for  selling,  or  attempt- 
ing to  sell,  bread  at  a  greater  rate  within  the  next  ten  days. 

7.  Any  hackman,  expressman,  drayman,  or   teamster  charging   more   than 
the  regular  fare,  will  have  his  license  revoked. 


88  I  he  Great  Fire  of  1871. 

All  citizens  are  requested  to  aid  in  preserving  the  peace,  good  order,  and  good 
name  of  our  city. 

Oct.  10,  1871.       •  R.  B.  MASON,  Mayor. 

In  addition  to  the  action  of  the  city  authorities, 
Lieut.  General  P.  H.  Sheridan,  whose  military  head- 
quarters were  here,  at  the  earnest  request  of  Mr. 
Mason,  the  Mayor,  and  many  prominent  citizens  of 
Chicago,  consented  to  declare  martial  law  for  the  pre- 
servation of  order  throughout  the  city,  as  well  as  to 
protect  from  fire  what  remained  of  it,  and  on  the  llth 
of  October  a  proclamation  was  issued  by  him  to  this 
effect.  Two  days  previous  to  this,  while  the  fire  was 
still  spreading  on  the  North  Side,  he  had  ordered  a 
company  of  frontier  soldiers  from  Fort  Lea venworth, 
Kan.,  to  be  sent  by  rail  to  Chicago,  and  as  soon  as 
they  arrived  they  were  detailed,  in  squads  of  about 
twenty  each,  to  guard  the  various  places  along  the 
outer  edge  of  the  burnt  district  that  needed  protection. 
Throughout  the  South  Division  burnt,  were  many 
bank  vaults  still  buried  beneath  heated  bricks  and 
stone,  in  an  uncertain  condition.  At  night  the  sol- 
diers detailed  to  guard  these  were  quartered  on  the 
premises  of  Messrs.  Fuller  &  Fuller,  which  had  been 
saved  from  the  general  wreck  as  already  told.  And 
in  conversation  with  Mr.  Fuller,  the  informant  of  the 
writer,  as  to  the  fidelity  with  which  they  executed 
their  trust,  the  praise  which  he  gave  these  noble  sol- 
diers should  not  be  omitted.  They  were  strictly  tem- 
perate, many  of  them  teetotalers,  and  some  of  them 
old  weather-beaten*  veterans,  as  noble  in  sentiment  as 
they  were  brave  and  faithful,  and  an  honor  to  the 
country  in  whose  service  they  had  enlisted.  The  debt 
of  gratitude  which  Chicago  owes  them  challenges  this 
acknowledgement. 

The  extent  of  the  fire  may  be  summed  up  in  the 
following  statement,  which  has  been  carefully  taken 
from  various  records  of  the  event:  On  the  West  Side, 
the  burnt  district  measured  194  acres,  and  the  num- 


The  Great  Fire  of  1871. 


89 


ber  of  burnt  buildings  was  about 
being  of  an  inferior  class. 


500,  most  of  them 

In  the  South  Di- 
vision 460  acres 
were  burned  over, 
on  which  stood 
3,650  buildings, 
which  constituted 
substantially,  the 
banks,  wholesale 
stores,  hotels  and 
the  general  heavy 
business  blocks  of 
the  city  included, 
with  many  of  its 
first-class  private 
dwellings;  added 
to  which  was  a  dis- 
trict in  the  south- 
west  portion, 
where  many  poor 
people  lived.  In 
the  North  Division 
1,470  acres  were 

burnt  over,  and  13,300  buildings  destroyed,  leaving 
but  about  four  per  cent  of  the  buildings  standing  in 
the  entire  division,  and  those  of  the  poorest  class. 
The  total  number  of  acres  burnt  over  was  2,124,  and 
of  buildings  destroyed  about  17,450.  About  100,000 
people  were  rendered  homeless,  which  included  guests 
at  hotels  and  boarding-houses.  Of  these,  some  thou- 
sands were  gathered  in  squads  on  the  prairies  outside 
the  city  on  the  morning  of  the  9th,  and  not  a  few 
made  the  earth  their  bed  on  the  night  of  the  10th. 
Every  train  of  railroad  cars  that  left  the  city  for  sev- 
eral days  was  loaded  to  its  utmost  with  fugitives. 
The  most  of  them  had  no  means  wherwith  to  pay 


90  2  he  Great  Fire  of  1871. 

their  fare.  In  such  cases,  the  railroad  companies, 
with  exemplary  generosity,  carried  them  free  till  the 
Belief  and  Aid  Society  had  organized,  to  make  provis- 
ion for  the  sufferers.  On  the  20th  relief  began  to 
come  in  from  the  country  towns  near  by.  Never  before 
had  their  sympathies  been  so  awakened.  Mothers, 
in  their  imagination,  heard  little  children  crying  for 
bread  on  the  open  prairie,  and  saw  whole  families  ly- 
ing on  the  ground,  bereft  of  everything  but  natural 
claims  on  humanity,  the  next  trains  that  went  to  the 
city  were  loaded  with  free  bread,  milk,  blankets,  and 
such  other  things  as  the  body  stands  most  in  need  of 
wrhen  stripped  of  everything  but  its  wants. 

To  detail  all  the  means  used  to  relieve  the  immedi- 
ate wants  of  the  victims  would  be  inconsistent  with 
time,  and  space  to  record  them.  It  was  one  of  those 
great  waves  that  roll  over  mankind,  bury  ing  them  so 
deep  beneath  its  crest  as  to  drown  out  selfishness  for 
the  time,  and  open  an  unfrequented  path  to  many 
hearts.  Dormant  passions  and  affections  were  awak- 
ened into  being,  that  else  might  have  slumbered  and 
died  ere  they  had  blossomed  into  life  and  beauty. 

Like  a  flash,  the  cry  of  distress  went  through  the 
world,  and  gathered  force  as  it  traveled.  News  of  the 
destruction  of  armies  in  one  great  chasm  of  death  had 
been  told  before  till  recitals  of  such  events  palled  upon 
the  senses;  but  this  was  a  great  social  disaster,  visited 
upon  effeminate  grace  and  beauty,  quick  and  sudden, 
dashing  ambition  to  the  ground,  and  withering  life's 
sweetest  hopes;  sundering  the  dearest  associations 
and  robbing  the  heart  of  home  treasures,  so  highly 
prized  by  the  most  refined  people. 

From  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  Detroit,  New  York, 
Boston,  and  nearly  all  the  large  cities  of  the  United 
States,  and  from  many  cities  in  England,  Germany 
and  France,  came  prompt  relief.  The  most  of  the 
cash  sentfrom  these  places  was  taken  into  the  custody 
of  the  Chicago  Relief  and  Aid  Society,  and  by  them 


The  Great  Fire  0/1871.  91 

dispensed  to  the  sufferers  with  as  provident  a  care  as 
could  have  been  expected  under  such  a  pressure. 

The  amounts  contributed  from  the  world,  (the  great 
field  of  charity  for  this  occasion),  was $4, 820,148. 16. 
Of  this  amount  $973,897.80  was  from  foreign  coun- 
tries. The  number  of  lives  lost  in  the  fire  can  never 
be  told.  It  has  been  estimated  to  exceed  300.  The 
charred  remains  of  many  were  found,  but  no  such 
number  as  this. 

The  amount  of  property  destroyed  in  the  fire,  by  a 
careful  estimate  by  Elias  Colbert,  was  $196,000,000. 
Not  more  than  one-fourth  of  this  was  covered  by  in- 
surance, and  of  the  amounts  insured,  not  more  than 
fifty  per  cent  was  paid,  some  insurance  companies  not 
paying  more  than  ten  per  cent,  while  others  paid  in 
full. 

The  heads  of  families  and  business  portion  of  the 
hundred  thousand  victims  of  the  fire  may  be  divided 
into  several  classes.  The  portion  of  them  whose 
wealth  was  in  stocks  or  bonds  had  lost  nothing  but 
their  ink-stands  and  writing-desks,  and  the  opportuni- 
ties now  offered  for  speculation,  seemed  to  give  prom- 
ice  of  an  abundant  harvest  out  of  the  situation.  Of 
the  merchants  who  hadJboth  capital  and  credit  yet 
in  reserve,  to  begin  anew,  a  prospect  opened  for  busi- 
ness perhaps  never  before  equaled.  To  thos£  mer- 
chants who  had  lost  everything,  little  consolation 
could  come,  and  yet  many  of  these,  availing  them- 
selves of  an  untarnished  reputation,  immediately  be- 
gan again  on  credit,  and  not  a  few  of  them  made  a 
success  of  it.  Out  of  the  recoil  that  came  from  such 
an  overwhelming  calamity,  quickly  sprang  up  a  buoy- 
ant feeling  in  the  minds  of  everyone.  No  timid  coun- 
sels prevailed.  Redivivus  was  the  watchword.  Dimen- 
sion stone,  brick,  mortar,  lime,  marble,  red  sand- 
stone, granite,  cement,  iron  pillars,  girders,  floor  tile, 
sand,  glass,  joist,  scantling  and  boards  were  at  a  pre- 
mium. Autumn  hung  on  into  the  winter  months, 


92  the  Great  Fire  of  1871. 

and  fire-proof  buildings  sprang  up  rapidly  amidst 
the  desolations  of  the  burnt  district.  The  rebuilding 
of  the  burnt  district  was  a  wonder  of  no  less  magni- 
tude than  the  fire  itself.  The  business  portion  of  the 
city  presented  not  only  the  appearance  of  newness, 
but  the  buildings  were  of  the  most  approved  pattern 
of  architecture  and  convenience.  Meantime,  while 
these  were  in  course  of  construction,  every  empty 
place  on  the  West  Side,  and  far  out  in  the  South  Di- 
vision, was  rented  at  high  figures,  and  frequently 
might  be  found  the  most  enterprising  merchants 
doing  business  in  some  dingy,  cavernous  quarters  on 
the  West  Side,  that  for  years  before  the  fire  had 
grown  moldy  for  want  of  tenants.  For  several 
months,  Canal  street,  between  Lake  and  Madison, 
was  the  center  of  business.  Here  the  newspapers  set 
up  their  presses,  and  by  dint  of  courage  and  resolu- 
tion to  be  found  nowhere  outside  of  Chicago,  soon  re- 
produced their  respective  sheets,  undiminished  in  size 
and  unctious  with  grit.  All  the  while  capital  flowed 
into  Chicago,  and  the  building  mania  was  at  fever 
heat.  Nobody  seemed  to  think  it  could  be  overdone. 
They  did  not  stop  to  consider  that  the  improved 
class  of  buildings  which  were  being  substituted  for 
the  old  ones  would  afford  convenience  and  room  for 
a  greatly  increased  amount  of  business.  Add  to 
this  the  extra  room  for  business  where  private  houses 
had  been  burnt,  close  by  the  business  portions  of 
Chicago,  which  would  never  be  replaced,  on  account 
of  their  proximity  to  the  turmoil  of  a  commercial  em- 
porium, and  it  is  not  strange  that  an  unnecessarily 
large  area  was  left  open  for  the  wants  of  business. 
These  conditions  caused  a  temporary  lull  in  build  ing 
up  the  burnt  district  after  the  work  had  been  going 
on  two  years,  for  which  reason  there  were  still  (1881) 
many  vacant  lots  where  the  moldering  walls  of  old 
buildings,  burnt  in  the  fire,  stand  as  reminders  of  the 
event;  but  no  great  length  of  time  can  now  transpire 
till  the  recent  increasing  demand  for  more  stores  and 
offices,  as  well  as  a  demand  beyond  the  present  supply 
for  private  dwellings,  will  not  only  fill  up  vacant  lots 
in  the  burnt  district,  but  enlarge  the  area  of  the  city. 


'Ihe  Great  Fire  of  1871. 


93 


FIRST  BUILDING  IN  BURNT  DISTRICT. 


94  Ihe  Railroad  System  of  the  Nortliivest. 


THE  RAILROAD  SYSTEM  OF  THE  NORTHWEST. 

Cheap  and  expeditious  transportation  over-land, 
by  means  of  railroads,  has  not  yet  been  long  enough 
in  use  to  determine,  practically,  what  changes  in  the 
great  world  of  progress,  are  destined  to  grow  from 
it,  or  rather  what  new  elements  of  aggrandizement 
and  accumulation  of  wealth  and  influence  are  to  come 
from  it.  Dating  from  the  earliest  historical  records, 
as  they  faintly  glimmer  through  the  uncertainty  of 
Orientalism,  we  find  the  Phoenicians,  about  700 years 
before  the  Christian  era,  bringing  wealth  and  fame 
to  their  nation  by  means  of  their  commerce,  in  which 
branch  of  industry  they  were,  as  far  as  known,  the 
world's  pioneers. 

Their  country  was  situated  at  the  western  extrem- 
ity of  the  Mediterranean  Sea  and  the  northeastern 
extremity  of  the  Red  Sea,  which  locality  gave  them  a. 
great  advantage  over  any  other  people  in  the  distri- 
bution of  their  merchandise.  This  stimulated  their 
manufacturing  interests,  as  well  as  their  fine  arts  and 
scholastic  sciences;  and  for  several  centuries  this  peo- 
ple, though  their  whole  country  was  not  larger  than 
the  State  of  Illinois,  represented  the  intelligence  and 
handicraft  of  the  world.* 

Southern  Europe,  including  the  Ancient  Britons, 
paid  tribute  to  them  in  the  purchase  of  their  fabrics, 
and  learned  of  them  and  the  Arabians,t  the  elements 
of  commerce. 

For  this  proud  position  they  were  indebted  to  their 
natural  channels  of  communication  with  the  outside 

*  Heroditus  defines  their  territory  as  a  belt  of  land  about  50  miles  wide,  along 
the  eastern  extremity  of  the  Mediterian,  and  runs  their  boundary  south  of  this 
extreme  end,  to  the  northeastern  extremity  of  the  Red  Sea,  which  he  called  the 
Arabian  Gulf.  Thence  he  runs  it  to  the  eastern  delta  of  the  Nile,  about  60  miles 
above  its  mouth,  thence  along  its  meanders  to  the  sea. 

t  The  Arabians  inhabited  the  country  between  the  Red  Sea  and  the  Indian 
Ocean. 


7 he  Railroad  System  of  the  Northwest  95 

world,  afforded  by  the  two  great  seas  that  reached 
their  territory  from  two  nearly  opposite  directions. 

That  the  Phoenecians  have  not  held  their  original 
high  position,  till  the  present  day,  is  due  to  the  later 
discoveries  by  which  the  ocean  could  be  navigated , 
thereby  giving  any  other  nation,  which  had  a  sea- 
coast  an  equal  advantage  with  them. 

By  further  comparison  with  Orientalism,  we  may 
quote  Byzantium,  a  city  of  the  Bosphorus.  Had 
Romulus  and  Remus  laid  the  foundation  of  the  Eter- 
nal City  here,  instead  of  at  Rome,  this  empire  would 
have  had  a  more  enduring  grip  upon  the  domain  of 
Europe,  even  than  it  did  have. 

Just  before  the  decline  of  this  colossal  power,  Con- 
stantine,  its  emperor,  removed  its  seat  of  government 
to  this  place,  and  changed  its  name  from  Byzantium 
to  Constantinople,  which  was  A.  D.  328. 

Constitutional  forms  of  government,  and  the 
emoluments  that  grow  out  of  them  were  then  un- 
known, but,  even  without  them  the  power  of  Rome 
lingered  here,  in  its  dotage,  till  the  fourteenth  century, 
when  this  city  was  conquered  by  the  Mahomedans; 
and  the  last  vestige  of  Roman  power  was  gone. 

For  many  centuries  this  strategic  spot  had  been 
the  sport  of  superstitious  and  dynastic  claims,  not 
based  on  the  civilizing  influences  of  our  present  age. 
All  around  it,  near  and  far,  were  vengeful  clans  (not 
nations)  bound  to  take  a  hand  in  the  wreckage  of 
Rome,  when  distribution,  instead  of  concentration  of 
national  force  seemed  to  be  the  spirit  of  the  age. 
This  is  why  Constantinople  did  not  become  the  great 
metropolitan  center  of  the  world's  commerce:  All  it 
lacked,  to  make  it  such,  was  an  intelligent  purpose 
and  harmony  to  execute  this  purpose;  for  no  other 
spot  in  the  Eastern  hemisphere  offered  so  good  facil- 
ities for  such  a  result  as  this,  situated  as  it  was  near 
the  extremity  of  a  sea  that  intervened  between  two 
continents. 


g6  The  Railroad  System  of  the  Northwest. 

Let  us  turn  from  this  scene  to  the  center  of  a  new 
continent,  where  Chicago  poses  at  the  extremity  of 
the  chain  of  Lakes,  that  rest  on  the  great  plateau  of 
the  North  West,  connected  with  the  sea,  both  on  the 
South  and  on  the  East  by  navigable  waters. 
It  seems  as  if  this  spot  had  been  held  in  reserve,  un- 
known to  mankind,  till  a  young  nation  sprang  into 
existence  to  utilize  it,  as  away  s  tat  ion,  on  the  western 
path  of  Empire.  No  contra  vailing  conditions  can 
set  limits  to  its  growth.  The  world  that  buy  sits  pro- 
ducts is  its  field,  and  the  states  that  surround  it,  its 
protection. 

The  rise  and  fall  of  Empires  is  its  horn-book  of  study, 
in  order  to  reproduce  their  grandeurs  on  the  broader 
platform  required  by  the  present  age  of  improvement. 

Here  we  may  begin  on  the  present  grade  of  the 
worlds  knowledge,  and  bring  its  appliances  to  our 
assistance.  The  appliances  most  necessary  to  us  are 
the  railroad  system  that  centre  at  Chicago.  We  are 
in  the  direct  path  between  Western  Europe  and  the 
Asian  Coast:  the  most  important  trunk  lines  of  rail- 
roadsinthe  United  States  and  Canada  egntmnghere. 

The  British  channel  has  saved  England  from  for- 
eign foes,  and  made  it  possible  for  London  to  become 
the  largest  city  of  the  world,  but  this  same  bulwark 
has  severed  such  railroad  connections  as  have  con- 
tributed to  make  Chicago  the  wonder  of  the  age. 
Let  us  compare  the  latter  with  that  venerable  and 
peerless  city  that  stands  on  the  "fatal  island''  as 
Napoleon  called  it. 

The  arithmetical  increase  in  London  for  the  past 
fifty  years,  in  wealth  and  numbers  has  been  greater 
than  that  of  Chicago;  but  the  proportionate  increase 
of  the  latter  during  this  period,  has  been  far  the  great- 
est. 

Had  a  people  like  jJnglishmen  or  Americans  pos- 
sessed Constantinople  and  a  circumference  of  one 
thousand  miles  around  it,  at  the  dawn  of  constitu- 


Ihe  Railroad  System  of  the  Northwest.  97 

tional  governments,  London  would  never  have  out- 
rivalled  it,  because  its  geographical  advantages  were 
wanting  to  do  it. 

Chicago  did  not  make  her  debut  as  a  candidate  for 
urban  fame,  till  science  and  jurisprudence  had  come 
to  her  aid,  and  if  she  does  not  succeed  in  becoming  as 
much  greater  than  London  as  her  str  ategic  locality 
is  superior  to  hers,  it  will  be  because  the  American 
people  are  inferior  to  English  people. 

Our  mother  country  has  honored  us  with  an  un- 
written law  of  alliance,  in  everything  tha.t  constitutes 
the  corner  stone  of  transcendent  power,  vital  to  the 
security  of  human  rights;  and  this  law  brings  with  it 
the  tributes  of  the  British  Empire  to  Chicago — the 
great  dispensatory  of  the  worlds  necessities  in  this 
practical  age.  To  say  less  than  this  would  not  be 
doing  justice  to  the  position  she  holds,  in  the  zone  of 
national  greatness. 

The  largest  trees  of  the  forest  are  those  which  were 
planted  on  its  virgin  soil,  and  this  rule  applies  to  Chi- 
cago itself,  including  all  her  transporting,  manufac- 
turing and  trading  facilities;  so  conveniently  spread 
out  on  the  face  of  nature  to  be  developed  by  the  pio- 
neer spirit  of  the  American  people.  These  conditions 
have  come  upon  us  with  a  driving  force  behind  them, 
in  soil  and  in  the  geographical  disposition  of  the  con- 
tinent, whose  navigable  waters  conserve  the  destinies 
of  this  favored  spot. 

Let  us  now  consider  the  part  our  Railroad  System 
must  inevitably  take,  in  the  coming  rivalry  of  the 
great  powers  of  the  world,  for  that  kind  of  supremacy 
that  Europe  has  for  the  past  century  disguised  under 
the  misnomer — "Balance  of  Power/'  Under  this  spe- 
cious pretence,  these  powers  have  been  min  imized  to 
the  four  represented  by  London,  St.  Petersburg,  Ber- 
lin, and  Pads.  This  reduction  has  been  brought  a- 
bout  more  by  commerce  than  by  war. 

That  Chicago  and  her  transportation  system  are 


98  The  Railroad  System  of  the  Northwest. 

the  eontroling  factors,  in  these  evolutions  now  going 
on,  which  are  destined  to  concentrate  wealth  and 
power,  till  its  limit  is  reached  there  can  be  no  doubt. 
Catherine  II,  of  Kussia  saw  it,  when  shesummoned  a 
council  to  meet  at  Berlin  to  stop  the  war  to  subdue 
the  American  colonies,  and  later,  Eussia  foresaw 
from  our  first  national  existence,  that  the  United 
States  was  to  be  the  great  power  of  the  world;  and 
consistent  with  this  conviction  never  lost  an  oppor- 
tunity to  show  friendship  to  us:  Napoleon  saw  it 
when  he  sold  Louisiana  to  us,  and  in  the  bitterness 
of  his  spirit,  exclaimed,  "I  have  given  to  England  a 
maritime  rival  that  will  some  day  humiliate  her 
pride,"  England,  from  behind  her  bulwark  of  con- 
servatism— her  weakest  point,  saw  it  when  she  said 
to  Europe,  hands  off,  at  the  opening  of  our  Spanish 
war.  Perhaps  the  last  few  years  of  trade  balance,  a- 
gainst  her  have  been  an  object  lesson  to  teach  her 
this.  In  summing  up,  we  may  say,  the  Monroe  doc- 
trine has  gone  to  the  tomb  of  the  Capulets,  for  want 
of  a  field  on  which  to  brandish  its  sword.  "Survive 
the  fittest,"  will  be  the  motto  in  the  Eastern  hemis- 
phere, in  the  centralizing  process  now  going  on  with 
accelerated  speed,  as  years  go  round. 

All  the  while,  commerce  rounds  off  the  tangent 
points  of  human  character,  fraternizes  the  human 
race  into  good  fellowship,  stimulates  education,  in 
doing  which,  it  calls  into  being  an  army  of  school 
masters.  These  happy  results  are  manifest  here, 
where  they  guarantee  the  unity  of  our  nation,  and 
win  the  respect  of  the  world  by  binding  the  East,  the 
South  and  the  West  together  into  a  unity  of  interests. 

Ever  since  prehistoric  ages,  when  Asia,  the  mother 
of  nations  peopled  Europe,  the  center  of  progress,  in 
artisanship,  has  been  moving  westward.  The  dis- 
covery of  the  western  hemisphere  accelerated  this 
movement  till  its  clinmx  was  reached,  the  central 
seat  of  which  is  the  great  North  West  and  from  this 


7he  Railroad  System  of  the  Northwest. 


99 


focus  the  far  reaching  and  world  wide  railroad  system, 
together  with  ocean  navigation,  can  transport  the 
cereals  to  London  as  cheaply  as  the  same  could  be 
sent  there  from  the  north  of  England.  This  assertion 
may  be  startling,  but  the  railroad  officers  of  Chicago 
are  the  vouchers  of  the  writer  for  its  truth.  By  this 
sweeping  change  the  English  farmer  has  been  ruined, 
partly  by  it,  and  partly  by  other  unfavorable  condi- 
tions as  to  supply  from  other  sou  ires  which  have  low- 
ered prices.  One  of  the  effects  upon  the  English  gov- 
ernment, produced  by  this  falling  off  in  her  agricul- 
tural interests,  has  been  to  make  it  cling  to  her  finan- 
cial advantages  which  have  made  England  the  worlds 
brokers.  If  she  is  no  longer  the  man  with  the  hoe 
she  is  the  man  with  the  pen  behind  one  ear,  and  the 
gold  dollar  in  his  pocket.  Pending  the  possibly  tran- 
sient conditions  of  Europe  now  in  the  process  of  incu- 
bation, the  United  States  can  repose  on  her  agricultur- 
al laurels,  made  effective  by  her  transcontinental  tran- 
sportation facilities,  spreading  its  influence  over  tjie 
far  east  along  the  frequented  track  of  commerce. 


WELLS  STREET  DEPOT,  CHICAGO  &  NORTH  WESTERN  R'  Y 


ioo  Ihe  Chicago  &  North  Western  Raihvay. 


THE  CHICAGO  &  NORTH  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 

Looking  back  upon  the  changes  that  have  marked 
the  progress  of  the  world,  we  wonder  that  they  could 
not  have  been  anticipated.  Thus  it  is;  that  we  wonder 
why  capitalists  should  have  been  chary  about  invest- 
ing in  stocks  wherewith  to  build  a  railroad  west  from 
Chicago.  When  the  "venture"  was  first  thought  of 
conservatism  said  "don't  do  it";  the  pioneer  spirit 
said  go  ahead.  The  latter  prevailed,  and  January 
16th,  1836  (ere  Chicago  had  received  her  charter  as  a 
city) the  Galena  and  Chicago  Union  Rail  Road  Com- 
pany was  chartered  by  the  state  and  Messrs.  Town  send 
and  Mather  of  New  York  and  their  associates  were  given 
the  pri v  ilege  of  making  it  a  horse  or  steam  Rail  Ro ad  as* 
they  saw  fit  and  constructing  branches  to  it,  as  feeders. 
By  the  terms  of  the  charter  three  years  were  allowed 
in  which  work  should  be  commenced  on  the  road;  in 
order  to  comply  with  which  requirements,  the  com- 
pany began  construction  in  1838.  Its  capital  stock 
was  $100,000  with  the  right  to  increase  it  to  $1,000,- 
000.  William  Bement,  Thomas Drummond,  J.C.Good- 
hue,  Peter  Semple,  J.  B.  Turner  and  J.  B.  Thompson 
Jr.  were. authorized,  as  commissioners,  to  receive  sub- 
scriptions to  the  stock. 

The  work  began  on  Kinzie  St.  near  the  crossing  of 
Canal  St.  by  George  Bassett  contractor,  who  remained 
in  the  service  of  the  company  until  his  death,  several 
years  later. 

Whether  the  object  of  this  beginning  was  to  fulfill  the 
time  limit  of  t^e  charter,  or  not,  is  not  known  to  the 
writer,  but  whatever  the  incentive  might  have  been ,  the 
work  was  abandoned  and  nothing  more  done  until 
1846,  at  which  time,  Wm.  B.  Ogden,  John  B.Turner 
and  Stephen  Gale,  purchased  the  charter  of  the  origi- 
nal grantees,  the  consideration  for  which  being  $10,- 


The  Chicago  &  North  Western  Railway.  101 

000,  in  stock  of  the  company  paid  down,  and  a  like 
ammount  given  on  its  completion  to  Fox  River. 

A  preliminary  survey  was  made,  and  the  work  put 
in  charge  of  Richard  P.  Morgan.  The  next  year,  on 
the  5th  of  April,  a  Board  of  Directors  was  appointed, 
and  books  were  soon  opened  for  subscription  to  the 
stock,  here  fresh  difficulties  came  up,  many  thought  the 
road  would  injure  retail  trade  in  Chicago  (which  was 
all  she  then  had),  by  facilitating  the  transportation 
of  goods  to  country  merchants,  and  the  latter  feared 
that  their  trade  would  suffer  by  such  quick  and  easy 
access  to  Chicago  as  the  road  would  give  to  the  farm- 
ers. Despite  these  difficulties,  through  the  efforts  of 
Benj.  W.  Raymond  and  John  B.  Turner,  in  their  suc- 
cess in  negotiating  loans  in  New  York  and  the  reluct- 
ant home  subscriptions  to  the  stock,  the  road  was 
finally  completed  to  Harlem  Dec.  30,  1848  and  to 
Cottage  Hill  (now  Elmhurst)  the  next  year. 

Mr.  Ogden  and  Mr.  Turner  next  proceeded  to  obtain 
the  right  of  way  necessary  to  continue  the  road  to 
Fox  river  in  doing  which,  they  called  on  Warren 
Wheaton  living  on  his  government  land  claim,  in  a 
lonesome  cabin.  Mr.  Wheaton  is  still  living  at  the 
same  spot  where  they  called  on  him.  He  is  the  only 
survivor  of  the  men  mentioned  above,  connected  with 
the  history  of  this  road  thus  far.  Messrs.  Turner  and 
Ogden  had  met  but  little  encouragement  from  the  set- 
tlers immediately  east  of  this  place,  then  with  out  a 
name.  Not  that  the  inhabitants  objected  to  the  road , 
but  they  showed  a  disposition  to  avail  themselves  of 
the  occasion  to  get  a  round  price  for  land  needed  for 
its  construction.  Instead  of  taking  any  such  advan- 
tage, Mr.  Warren  Wheaton  and  his  brother  Jesse  were 
in  full  sympathy  with  the  representatives  of  the  road, 
offoving  them  the  right  of  way  gratis,  and  Mr.  Warren 
Who'll  on  invited  the  two  gentlemen  to  dinner. 
Whether  it  was  this  dinner  (which  was  doubtless  a 
good  one)  or  the  free  gift  of  land  or  both  combined 


IO2  The  Chicago  &  North  Western  Railway. 

that  induced  the  managers  of  the  road  to  put  a  sta- 
tion here,  and  name  it  Wheaton,  will  never  be  known; 
but  certain  it  is  that  no  amount  of  finessing,  or  sub- 
tlety on  the  part  of  rival  localities,  which  immediate- 
ly ensued,  could  change  the  firm  purposes  of  Messrs. 
Turner  and  Ogden.  They  were  true  to  their  first  love, 
and  impervious  to  all  influences  brought  to  bear  up- 
on them  to  change  the  track  of  the  road.  Where  ap- 
athy had  existed  but  a  short  time  before  the  people 
now  awakened  to  the  importance  of  the  subject. 

The  next  necessity  was  to  build  the  road  to  the  Fox 
river;  if  not  to  accommodate  the  public,  to  get  the 
stock  stipulated  for  as  already  told.  The  grading 
was  soon  completed  and  the  iron  rails  pur- 
chased but  the  means  and  the  credit  of  the  company 
were  exhausted,  and  how  to  get  the  ties  was  the  quan- 
dary. Edward  W.  Brewster  who  owned  a  large  farm 
on  Fox  river,  well  timbered  with  oak  now  came  to 
the  rescue.  He  offered  to  let  the  company  cut  ties 
free,  on  condition  that  it  would  give  a  life  pass  to  him- 
self and  family;  which  offer  was  gratefully  accepted, 
and  annual  passes  were  sent  to  the  generous  donor 
thereafter.  On  one  occasion  Mr.  Brewster  had  to  call 
for  the  pass.  Yes!  Father  Brewster  we'll  pass  you  as 
long  as  you  live  but  we  didn't  expect  you'd  live  so 
long  was  the  pleasant  reply.  A  few  years  later  the 
C.  &  N.  W.  R'y.  Company  passed  his  remains  and  the 
funeral  cortege  from  Wheaton  to  Rose  Hill,  where 
they  now  rest  after  an  honorable  record  of  ninety- 
three  years.  The  writer  superintended  the  funeral. 

In  1852  the  road  was  completed  to  Elgin  running 
on  the  ties  furnished  by  Mr.  Brewster,  strap  rails  had 
been  used  as  far  as  this  place,  but  were  now  substi- 
tuted for  T  rails  18  feet  in  length. 

When  this  road  was  first  chartered  the  chief  places 
on  the  Mississippi  above  St.  Louis  were  Fort  Madison, 
Galena  and  Fort  Snelling,  near  the  present  St.  Paul. 
Of  these  Galena  was  the  oldest  and  most  important 


Ilie  Chicago  &  North-Western  Railway.  103 

in  a  commercial  point  of  view  owing  to  the  lead 
mines  there;  hence  the  reason  for  its  name  being  ap- 
pended to  the  title  of  the  first  rail-road  running-  west 
from  Chicago;  and  to  this  point  its  terminal  was 
fixed  by  charter.  In  1853  Rockford  and  Belvidere 
were  both  reached,  and  Dec.  10, 1855  a  branch  road 
was  completed  to  Dixon. 

Previous  to  1854  this  company  had  built  a  branch 
line  from  Belvidere  111.  to  Beloit  on  the  border  of 
Wisconsin,  a  distance  of  21  miles,  and  soon  thereafter 
had  leased  the  Madison  and  Beloit  K.  R.  a  yet  unfin- 
ished road  running  to  Madison  Wis.  a  distance  of  47 
miles  which  road  had  been  incorporated  by  the  Wis- 
consin legislature  Aug.  19,  1848  the  line  of  which 
was  to  intersect  Janesville,  Madison  and  LaCrosse, 
thence  to  a  point  on  the  Mississippi  river  near  St.- 
Paul,  Minn,  and  also  from  Janesville  to  Fond-du-Lac, 
Wis.  On  Feb.  9,  1850  the  name  of  this  road  was 
changed  to  the  Rock  River  Valley  Union  R.  R.  Com- 
pany. The  line  from  Janesville  had  not  been  pushed 
by  the  Galena  Company,  as  the  people  had  been .  led 
to  believe  it  would  be,  and  as  a  result  of  the  dissatis- 
faction a  charter  was  approved  by  the  Governor  of 
Illinois  on  February  12,  1851,  incorporating  "The 
Illinois  &  Wisconsin  Railroad  Co.,"  with  power  to 
build  a  railroad  from  Chicago  north  to  the  Illinois 
state  line,  and  to  consolidate  with  any  railroad  in 
Wisconsin.  March  10,  1855,  this  last  named  line 
was,  by  act  of  legislature  of  Wisconsin  authorized  to 
be  consolidated  with  the  Rock  River  Valley  Union 
Railroad  Co.,  and  was  authorized  to  take  such  name 
for  the  new  company  as  the  Board  of  Directors  might 
see  fit.  On  March  31st,  1855,  this  consolidation  was 
perfected,  and  the  consolidated  company  was  named 
The  Chicago,  St.  Paul  &  Fond  du  Lac  Railroad  Co. 
This  is  the  origin  of  the  first  portion  of  the  present 
Wisconsin  division  of  Chicago  &  North-Western  Rail- 
way. 


iO4  The  Chicago  &  North-Western  Railway. 

"The  object  of  the  Chicago,  St.  Paul  &  Fond  du- 
Lac  Railroad  Co.  from  the  beginning,  was  the  exten- 
sion of  their  line  from  Janesville  northwest  via  Mad- 
ison and  La  Crosse  to  St.  Paul,  and  from  Janesville 
north  along  the  valley  of  Rock  river  to  Fond  du  Lac, 
and  to  the  great  iron  and  copper  regions  of  Lake 
Superior."  Within  four  years  it  built  a  line  from 
Chicago  70  miles  to  the  Wisconsin  state  line  at  Sha- 
ron. The  Rock  River  Valley  Union  Railroad  Co.  had 
built  30  miles  of  its  road  from  Fond  du  Lac  south- 
ward towards  Minnesota  Junction,  Wisconsin.  The 
consolidated  company  proceeded  as  fast  as  possible 
to  close  up  the  gap  between  the  two  pieces  of  road 
and  completed  it  in  1859,  thus  forming  a  continuous 
line  from  Chicago  via  Janesville  and  Watertown  to 
Fond  du  Lac,  176  miles.  By  Acts  of  February  12 
and  28, 1857,  of  the  Wisconsin  legislature,  the  Wis- 
consin &  Lake  Superior,  and  the  Chicago,  St.  Paul  & 
Fond  du  Lac  Railroad  Cos.  were  authorized  to  con- 
solidate, and  on  March  5, 1857,  the  companies  were 
consolidated  and  retained  the  name  of  the  Chicago, 
St.  Paul  &  Fond  du  Lac  Railroad  Co.  In  February, 
1859,  in  Illinois,  and  in  March  (and  October),  1859, 
in  Wisconsin,  the  legislatures  authorized  the  reorgan- 
ization of  the  company,  and  on  June  6th,  1859,  a 
new  company  was  organized,  under  the  name  of  Chi- 
cago &  North- Western  Railway  Co.,  to  which  was 
passed  all  the  franchises  and  rights  of  the  then  bank- 
rupt Chicago,  St.  Paul  &  Fond  du  Lac  Railroad  Co. 

THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE   NORTH-WESTERN. 

Here,  then,  is  the  real  beginning  of  the  northwest- 
ern portion  of  the  present  corporation  that  is  now 
known  as  the  Chicago  &  North- Western  Railway  Co. 
On  April  10, 1861,  this  Company  was  authorized  by 
the  legislature  of  Wisconsin  to  build  a  line  from  Fond- 
du  Lac  via  Fort  Howard  or  Green  Bay  to  the  north 
line  of  Wisconsin,  at  the  Menomonee  river.  During 


Ihe  Chicago  &  North-Western  Railway.  105 

1859  the  road  was  completed  to  Oshkosh  (194 miles); 
in  1861  to  Appleton,  20  miles  further  north;  and  in 
1862  the  line  was  extended  to  Fort  Howard  (Green 
Bay),  forming  a  line  242  miles  long.  In  1862-3,  The 
Kenosha,  Rockford  &  Rock  Island  Railroad,  running 
from  Kenosha,  Wisconsin,  westwardly,  was  complet- 
ed, 72  miles,  to  Rockford,  111.,  where  it  formed  a  junc- 
tion with  the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Railroad,  and 
to  prevent  its  falling  into  the  then  unfriendly  hands 
of  the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Co.,  it  was  purchased, 
in  1863;  by  and  in  1864  was  consolidated  with  the 
Chicago  &  North- Western  Railway  Co.,  and  operated 
as  its  Kenosha  division. 

THE  PENINSULA  RAILROAD. 

To  secure  the  business  of  the  upper  Peninsula  of 
Michigan,  The  Peninsula  Railroad  Co.  was  organized 
in  1862,  and  was  authorized  to  build  a  railroad  from 
Escanaba,  Michigan,  on  Little  Bay  De  Noquet,  to 
Marquette,  Michigan,  on  Lake  Superior.  Work  was 
commenced  in  1863,  and  the  road  was  completed  to 
the  Jackson  Mines,  at  the  village  of  Negaunee,  Michi- 
gan, where  (12  miles  from  Marquette)  it  formed  a 
junction  with  the  Marquette,  Houghton&Ontonagon 
Railroad.  In  October,  1864.  the  Peninsula  Railroad 
was  consolidated  with  the  Chicago  &  North- Western 
Railway,  and  was  designated  "The  Peninsula  Divi- 
sion." 

The  total  milage  of  the  roads  owned  by  the  Galena 
&  Chicago  Union  Railroad  Co.  at  the  time  of  the 
grand  consolidation  was  324  miles.  Its  completed 
leased  lines  were  251  miles. 

In  1861-2,  the  earnings  of  the  Chicago  &  North- 
Western  Railroad  were  only  $849,719.27,  and  in 
1862-3,  $1.083,054.05. 

In  order  to  prevent  rivalry  between  the  above  roads 
and  the  extra  expense  attending  it  the  stockholders 
of  both  companies  finally  consented  to  the  consolida- 


io6  The  Chicago  &  North  Western  Railway. 

tion,  and  on  June  2,  1864,  it  was  virtually  effected, 
carried  out;  and  on  February  15,  1865,  was  approved 
and  ratified  by  legislative  enactments.  The  new  cor- 
poration retained  the  title  The  Chicagfo&  North- West- 
ern Railway  Company. 

About  this  time  the  directory  of  the  Company,  to 
secure  its  interests,  and  to  prevent  its  falling  into 
hostile  hands,  found  it  was  essential  to  obtain  control 
of  a  line  from  Chicago  to  Milwaukee,  and  The  Chicago 
&  Milwaukee  Railroad  was  secured.  This  railroad 
connecting  the  cities  of  Chicago  and  Milwaukee  was 
commenced  at  each  end  at  about  the  same  time,  but 
under  two  corporations— The  Illinois  Parallel  R.  R. 
Co.,  afterwards  changed  by  the  act  of  the  Illinois  leg- 
islature of  February  3,  1853,  to  The  Chicago  &  Mil- 
waukee Railroad  Co.  The  Illinois  Parallel  R.  R.  Co. 
was  incorporated  February  17,  1851,  building  the 
line  from  Chicago  northward  to  the  Illinois  state  line, 
45  miles;  and  the  Green  Bay,  Milwaukee  &  Chicago 
Railroad  Co.,  incorporated  March  12, 1851,  building 
the  line  southward  from  Milwaukee  to  the  Illinois 
state  line,  40  miles.  The  title  of  this  company  was 
changed  in  1857  to  The  Milwaukee  &  Chicago  Rail- 
road Co.  Both  lines  were  completed  in  1855,  and 
run  in  connection  until  June  5, 1863,  when  they  were 
consolidated,  under  the  name  of  the  Chicago  &  Mil- 
waukee Railway  Co.  This  corporation  came  under 
the  management  of  the  Chicago  &  North- Western 
Railway  Co.,  by  perpetual  lease,  May  2, 1866,  but  af- 
terwards was  consolidated  with  the  Chicago  &  North- 
Western  Ry.  Co. 

At  the  close  of  the  eighth  fiscal  year  of  Chicago  & 
North- Western  Railway,  it  had  under  its  control,  by 
absolute  ownership  or  perpetual  lease,  1,152.4  miles. 

In  October,  1867,  the  Winona  &  St.  Peter  Railroad, 
a  line  under  construction  westwardly  from  Winona, 
Minn.,  and  of  which  105  miles  were  built,  became,  by 
purchase  of  the  entire  capital  stock,  the  property  of 


The  Chicago  &  North  Western  Railway.  107 

the  Chicago  &  North- Western  Ry.  Co.,  and  has  since 
then  been  operated  as  a  proprietary  road.  The  Chi- 
cago &  North- Western  Company  also  bought  theLa- 
Crosse,  Trempealeau  &  Prescott  Railroad — a  line  be- 
ing built  from  Winona  Junction,  Wisconsin,  three 
miles  east  of  La  Crosse,  Wisconsin,  to  Winona,  Minn- 
esota. The  Omaha  &  California  line  of  the  Chicago  & 
North- Western  Kailway  was  opened  to  the  Missouri 
river,  opposite  Omaha,  in  April,  1867. 

During  the  eleventh  fiscal  year  the  Winona  &  St.- 
Peter  Railroad  was  completed  to  Janesville,  Minneso- 
ta, making  121  miles  finished  from  Winona.  The  La- 
Crosse,  Trempealeau  &  Prescott  Railroad  was  also 
finished  this  year.  Total  miles  of  operated  line,  1,186. 

By  a  series  of  consolidations  and  purchases  the 
Chicago  and  North  Western  Railroad  Company  con- 
tinued their  lines  to  Negaune  Michigan  near  Mar- 
quette  on  the  southern  shores  of  Lake  Superior,  at 
various  points  through  the  rich  mineral  districts,  al- 
so to  Duluth  and  West  Superior  at  its  western  extrem- 
ity. By  the  same  process  St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis 
were  reached;  at  which  places  railroad  connections 
with  Winnepeg  in  Manitoba  and  also  connections 
with  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  are  made. 

The  North-Western  system  has  lines  of  its  own  con- 
struction to  Oakes,  North  Dakota,  Gettysburg,  Pierre 
and  the  Black  Hills,  South  Dakota,  and  to  Caspar 
Wyoming.  In  Nebraska  it  has  built  roads  to  Lincoln 
its  capital  to  Hastings  and  Superior.  It  owns  a  road 
from  Chicago  via  Clinton  to  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa, 
with  many  feeders  to  the  north  and  south  of  it  in  this 
state. 

The  following  shows  the  mileage  of  the  North- Wes- 
tern system. 

Chicago  &  North- Western  Railway 5,386.43 

Clrgo,  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis  &  Omaha  Ry.  1,537.76 

Fremont,  Elkhorn  &  Missouri  Valley  Ry.  ..  .1,407.95 

Total,  February  1, 1900 ...8,332.14 


io8  The  Chicago  &  North  Western  Railway. 

A  BRIEF  FINANCIAL  STATEMENT. 

We  copy  from  the  Annual  Report  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  May  31,  1898, 
the  following  interesting  figures: 

The  gross  earnings  for  the  year  were  the  largest  in 
the  history  of  the  company,  amounting  in  all  to  $36,- 
050,561.05,  being  an  increase  over  the  earnings  of 
the  previous  year  of  $5,073,317.57  or  16.38  per  cent. 

The  results  for  the  year  in  detail  are  as  follows: 

Average  Mileage  Operated,  5,070.78  Miles. 

From  Passengers $  7,256,299.23 

Freight 27,035,105.39 

' *      Express,  Mail  and  Miscellaneous     1,759,156.43 
Total  Gross  Earnings $36,050,561.05 

OPERATING  EXPENSES  AND  TAXES. 

Operating  Expenses  (62.81  per  cent 

of  Gross  Earnings) $22,643,879.31 

Taxes  (3.06  per  cent  of  Gross  Earnings      1,102,605.75 

Total $23,746,485.06 

Net  Earnings 12,304,075.99 

Less  Interest  on  Bonds,  etc.  etc.,  Net.. .  7,005,211.65 

Net  Keceipts $5,298,211.34 

Compared  in  detail  with  the  previous  year  the37 
were  as  follows: 

1896-7.  1897-8. 

Average  Miles.    Average  Miles.    Increase. 

5,030",  5,070-, 

Passenger 
Earnings  $  6,963,578.31$  7,256,299.23 

$     292,720.92 
Freight 
Earnings  22,236,612.19   27,035,105.39 

$4,798,493.20 
Express, 
Mail  and 
Miscel.       1,777,052.98     1,759,156.43 

Dec.  17,896.55 

Totals   $30,977,243.48  $36,050,561.05 

$5,073,317.57 


The  Chicago  £  North-Western  Railway.  109 

This  financial  statement  is  of  the  Chicago  &  North- 
Western  Railway  proper,  and  does  not  have  any  ref- 
erence to  the  roads  that  it  owns,  and  that  forms  the 
North- Western  System.  The  yearly  earnings  of  the 
roads  omitted,  equal  about  twelve  or  thirteen  mil- 
lion dollars  for  the  year  1898. 

PRESIDENTS  OF   THE 
GALENA  &  CHICAGO  UNION  RAILROAD  CO. 

Theophelus  W.  Smith, Elected  July     3, 1836 

William  B.  Ogden, Elected  Feb.  17, 1846 

John  B.  Turner, Elected  June    5, 1851 

Walter  L.  Newberry, Elected  June    1,  1859 

William  H.  Brown,  Elected  June    4, 1862 

John  B.  Turner, Elected  June    1,  1864 

PRESIDENTS  OF  THE 
CHICAGO   &  NORTH-WESTERN  RAILWAY. 

W.  B.  Ogden,    . . .  From  June  7, 1859  to  June  4,  1868 

Henry  Keep, From  June  4,  1868  to  Aug.,     1869 

A.  Mitchell, From  Sept.  1, 1869  to  June  3,  1870 

John  F.  Tracy,  ..From  June  3,  1870  to  June  19 1873 

Albert  Keep, From  June  19 1873  to* June 2, 1887 

Marvin  Hughitt,From  June  2,  1887 — still  in  office 

*  On  this  date  Mr.  Keep  was  elected  Chairman  of  the    Board   of  Directors 
and  still  holds  that  position. 

VICE-PRESIDENTS. 

Perry  H.  Smith,  From  June  7,  1859  to  April  7,  1869 
Henry  R.Pierson  From  April  7,  1869  to  June  30, 1870 
M.  L.  Sykes, From  June  301870— still  in  office 

Being  the  first  railroad  starting  out  of  Chicago  it 
had  the  advantage  of  the  most  direct  entrance  into 
the  heart  of  the  city  from  the  west,  which  may  with 
no  impropriet3T,  be  called  an  endowment  of  nature. 

In  making  up  this  historical  sketch  many  of  the 
earliest  persons  associated  with  the  construction  of 
the  road  have  been  interviewed,  some  of  whom  are 
not  now  living,  and  the  writer  acknowledges  obliga- 
tions to  the  company,  for  furnishing  maps,  drawings, 
and  views,  also  a  detailed  history  of  the  road  just 
published,  portions  of  it  have  been  copied  verbatim. 


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CHIC, 


CONVENTION  OF   1860. 

(COPIED  FROM  HISTORY  PUBLISHED  IN  1879.) 

Two  opposing  forces  grew  into  antagonism  in  the 
United  States  within  the  memory  of  middle  aged  men 
now  living. 

This  antagonism  that  had  been  gathering  force  dur- 
ing a  generation  in  its  progress,  had  gradually  obliter- 
ated party  lines,  and  substituted  an  issue  on  a  real 
principle  in  political  economy  for  the  old  one  which 
had  existed  between  the  whigs  and  the  democrats. 

The  old  issue  grew  out  of  an  honest  difference  of 
opinion  on  financial  questions,  such  as  tariff,  banking 
and  public  improvements ;  the  whigs  being  the  ambi- 
tious and  progressive  element,  and  the  democrats  claim- 
ing to  be  the  cautious  regulators  to  apply  the  brakes 
upon  hasty  and  ill  digested  legislation.  But  at  the  time 
when  the  new  issue  came  into  existence  the  old  one  had 
lost  its  national  character,  and  become  effete.  The 
new  issue  was  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  and  despite 
all  efforts  on  the  part  of  statesmen,  as  well  as  di- 
vines, to  bury  it  beneath  some  plastic  subterfuge,  it 
came  up  in  1856  in  its  naked  proportions,  at  the  Phila- 
delphia convention  which  nominated  Fremont  as  can- 
didate for  president  of  the  United  States,  to  represent 
the  principles  of  the  new  party.  The  issue  that  now 
divided  the  country  practically  involved  the  existence 
of  slavery.  Financial  questions  were  lost  sight  of,  and 
had  little  or  no  part  in  it. 

It  was  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  country 
that  an  issue  had  grown  up  in  the  popular  heart  exempt 

(113) 


114  Convention  of  1860. 

from  any  other  but  conscientious  principles  as  to  what 
policy  should  best  promote  justice,  as  well  as  national 
honor.  The  situation  in  the  United  States  at  that  time 
resembled  that  of  England  when  the  commonwealth 
displaced  the  reigning  dynasty  on  a  religious  question. 
It  was  the  higher  law  in  both  cases  that  the  new  party 
was  contending  for,  and  in  both  it  was  the  first  time 
that  either  country,  by  the  force  of  public  opinion  only, 
succeeded  in  establishing  a  moral  tribunal  by  which  to 
overturn  the  majesty  of  legal  forms. 

No  one  will  deny  that  this  was  the  case  in  England 
in  the  days  of  Cromwell,  and  the  proof  that  such  was 
the  case  in  the  United  States  in  the  political  campaign 
of  1860  is  found  in  the  fact  that  after  the  war  which 
followed  it,  the  constitution  had  to  be  changed  to  com- 
ply with  the  changes  it  had  wrought.  The  attempt  to 
compass  the  desired  end,  brought  to  light  in  1856  at  the 
Philadelphia  republican  convention,  the  first  of  its 
kind,  proved  a  failure. 

The  moral  sense  of  its  advocates  was  deeply 
wounded,  but  they  bore  the  humiliation  in  silence,  with 
no  letting  down  of  their  purposes ;  on  the  contrary, 
they  gathered  strength  as  the  time  drew  near  for  an- 
other trial  in  1860.  And  now  no  prestige,  no  favorit- 
ism, no  conventional  forms  or  local  rights  must  stand 
in  the  way  of  the  fulfillment  of  the  great  popular  voice 
that  transcended  everything.  In  vain  may  history  be 
searched  for  such  a  sublime  episode  when  so  complete 
a  submission  was  made  to  a  principle  as  the  Chicago 
convention  of  1860  personified.  It  is  doubtful  if  Chi- 
cago is  ever  again  destined  to  such  honors  as  fell  upon 
her  when  she  was  selected  as  the  most  appropriate 
place  for  this  convention.  It  was  a  compliment  paid  to 
the  moral  sense  of  her  rising  mind,  to  the  magnanimity 
of  her  national  policy,  to  her  immunity  from  local 
prejudice,  to  her  bold  and  original  conceptions,  and  to 
her  youthful  and  impulsive  force,  so  essential  to  the 
success  of  the  work  which  the  convention  were  about 


Convention  of  1860.  115 

to  undertake.  More  than  all  this,  it  was  a  proof  that 
her  interests  were  locally  interwoven  with  every  part 
of  the  United  States,  not  only  by  the  physical  forces  of 
nature,  but  by  the  fraternizing  influences  that  grow  out 
of  them  through  the  channels  of  commerce. 

As  soon  as  the  selection  was  made  prompt  action 
was  taken  by  Chicago's  leading  citizens  to  make  prep- 
aration for  the  occasion  commensurate  with  its  impor- 
tance. The  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to  provide  a 
place  for  its  sessions,  and  to  this  end  a  new  and  origi- 
nal plan  was  proposed.  It  was  to  erect  a  building  on 
purpose.  The  proposal  was  received  with  favor  so 
universal,  that  by  voluntary  subscriptions,  the  bulk  of 
which  was  not  over  ten  dollars  from  each  giver,  the 
building  was  erected.  It  consisted  of  an  immense  au- 
dience room  arranged  like  an  amphitheatre,  whose  roof 
was  supported  by  numerous  upright  posts.  It  was 
christened  the  Wigwam. 

The  convention  was  unlike  any  that  had  ever  pre- 
ceded it.  Beneath  the  noisy  demonstrations  that 
always  accompany  such  gatherings,  like  the  froth  that 
floats  upon  the  surface  of  deep  waters,  was  a  silent 
force,  the  offspring  of  that  kind  of  philosophy  which 
might  be  called  evolutionary  in  its  character  ;  a  philo- 
sophy that  accepts  things  for  what  they  are  worth,  and 
not  for  what  they  appear  to  be  ;  a  philosophy  that  sees 
the  sublimest  truths  in  simple  formula,  and  beholds  a  di- 
rect road  to  national  grandeur,  unobstructed  by  the 
vagaries  of  partisans  ;  a  philosophy  that  could  be  chari- 
table without  complicity,  discreet  without  being  ex- 
clusive, prudent  without  being  intolerant,  conservative 
without  a  letting  down  of  principle,  and  more  tenacious 
for  substance  than  for  theory.  Who  could  fill  such  a 
measure?  Who  could  step  into  the  arena  impervious 
to  the  shots  of  envy,  hatred  and  malice  destined  to  be 
hurled  against  him  from  an  old  party  whose  long  lease 
of  power  had  confirmed  it  in  its  defensive  measures  of 
extreme  constitutional  rights? 


116  Convention  of  1860. 

Horace  Greeley  was  then  a  potent  force  in  the  new 
party.  All  eyes  were  turned  to  him,  and  no  doubt  ex- 
ists that,  had  he  given  Mr.  Seward  his  hearty  support 
from  the  first,  he  would  have  been  elected  as  the  nomi- 
nee at  the  first  balloting  of  the  convention.  Every  in- 
fluence that  the  ingenuity  of  Mr.  Seward's  friends  could 
suggest  was  early  brought  to  bear  upon  Mr.  Greeley, 
in  his  behalf,  but  the  venerable  printer  was  impervious 
to  any  pressure  that  could  be  brought  upon  him.  He 
did  not  oppose  Mr.  Seward,  but  the  fact  that  he  had 
not  advocated  his  cause,  added  to  the  fact  that  the 
Press  and  Tribune,  the  Journal  and  the  Democrat,  of  Chi- 
cago, had  from  the  first  been  earnest  supporters  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  as  the  nominee,  prevented  hasty  action  in 
the  convention,  and  held  back  the  party  leaders  in 
abeyance  to  public  sentiment.  In  the  hands  of  the 
latter,  Mr.  Lincoln's  nomination  was  assured,  for  the 
convention  dared  not  disobey  its  mandates.  Besides 
this,  the  very  atmosphere  of  Chicago  was  charged  in 
his  favor  by  a  subtle  and  irresistible  force,  before  which 
all  other  pretensions  vanished,  and  when  the  day  set 
for  the  opening  of  the  convention  arrived,  an  impres- 
sive circumspection  reigned  throughout  the  hall,  and 
even  extended  its  influence  into  the  broad  open  air  of 
the  streets  outside;  for  among  the  many  thousands 
gathered  there,  were  a  goodly  number  whose  maturity 
of  intellect  rose  above  the  average  mind,  and  leavened 
the  whole  lump  with  a  full  measure  of  gravity  appro- 
priate to  the  occasion.  The  convention  commenced  its 
sittings  on  the  16th  of  May,  1860,  and  continued  till  the 
19th.  It  was  composed  of  466  delegates,  234  of  whom 
were  necessary  for  a  choice.  On  the  third  ballot  Lin- 
coln received  354  votes,  which  result  was  announced  to 
the  audience,  and  loud  and  long  continued  cheers  from 
them  sufficiently  vouched  the  action  of  the  delegates 
by  unmistakable  signs  of  enthusiasm.  Hannibal  Ham- 
lin,  of  Maine,  was  nominated  on  the  next  ballot  for 
vice-president  by  367  votes.  The  news  flew  to  every 


Convention  of  1860.  117 

part  of  the  country,  and  the  presidential  campaign 
opened  with  an  enthusiasm  on  the  part  of  the  new 
party,  and  firmness  on  the  part  of  the  old,  never  before 
witnessed. 

The  results  of  the  republican  victory  which  fol- 
lowed are  sublime  beyond  description,  and  sad  beyond 
measure,  and  will  never  be  forgotten  in  the  history  of 
the  world. 

A  careful  study  of  them,  while  it  reveals  the  frail- 
ties of  over-reaching  ambition  on  the  part  of  those  who 
raised  their  arm  against  the  government,  also  reveals 
the  unwelcome  truth  that  posterity's  teeth  will  be  set 
on  edge  by  the  public  debt,  incurred  in  the  inevitable 
war  which  followed.  Mr.  Lincoln's  untarnished  record 
in  it  has  turned  all  his  political  enemies  into  friends  of 
his  measures  and  his  memory,  and  convinced  the  world 
that  greatness  is  less  the  result  of  notoriety  than  nat- 
ural good  sense.  The  creatures  of  vain  ambition  stood 
appalled  before  his  unpretentious  power,  that  with  a 
simple  helm  overturned  the  work  of  the  forum,  and  de- 
molished whatever  stood  in  the  way  of  the  sense  of  the 
nation,  of  which  he  was  the  faithful  representative. 

His  life  and  his  death  were  an  ever  living  proof 
that  justice  is  the  only  thing  that  can  save  a  nation  in 
times  of  peril,  and  his  exemplary  administration  of 
public  affairs  has  made  it  possible  for  historians  to 
write  his  eulogy  without  being  accused  of  partisanship. 

No  president  of  the  United  States  should  come 
short  of  this  high  standard  of  statesmanship  which,  if 
universally  practiced,  would  be  a  safeguard  against  the 
disgraces  of  partisan  strategy  and  the  dangers  of  dis- 
union, as  well  as  the  moody  discontents  of  anarchy. 
Simple  justice  is  all  the  people  want,  in  default  of  which 
revolution,  sooner  or  later,  will  bring  it  with  fearful 
retribution  for  future  contentions. 

That  Mr.  Lincoln's  administration  was  statesman- 
like and  not  partisan,  is  demonstrated  by  the  fact  that 
at  his  untimely  death,  one  of  the  best  representatives 


118  Convention  of  1860. 

of  the  southern  confederacy,  Alexander  H.  Stephens, 
said:  "That  is  the  heaviest  blow  the  south  has  yet 
received. ' ' 

Had  his  life  been  spared,  it  is  fair  to  assume  that 
the  problem  of  reconstruction  would  have  received  a 
magnanimous  solution  more  consistent  with  political 
economy  than  was  possible  without  his  counsels.  He 
who  knew  how  to  improvise  useful  material  to  build  up 
his  own  cause  out  of  those  opposed  to  him,  might  have 
turned  the  popular  tide  of  the  south  after  the  war  in 
favor  of  the  Union  by  those  modifying  arts  that  melted 
away  opposition  to  the  forms  of  law  and  order  which 
he  had  reduced  to  simple  elements.  As  an  example  of 
his  easy  way  of  overcoming  opposition,  the  following 
circumstance,  which  has  never  before  been  made  pub- 
lic, is  here  related.  When  Mr.  Lincoln  was  in  a  quan- 
dary as  to  whom  he  should  give  the  chief  command  of 
the  Union  forces,  he  consulted  an  old  friend  on  the  im- 
portant matter,  and  while  conferring  together,  Mr. 
Lincoln  proposed  to  give  the  chief  command  of  the 
Union  forces  to  Douglas,  on  the  ground  that  his  indom- 
itable energy  and  superior  capacity  would  insure  suc- 
cess against  the  foe,  and  convert  enemies  in  the  north 
into  friends.  This  measure  was  opposed  by  the  adviser 
of  Mr.  Lincoln,  on  the  ground  that  if  successful,  Mr. 
Douglas  might  use  his  prestige  in  a  spirit  of  rivalry 
against  the  administration.  This  consideration  had  no 
weight  with  Mr.  Lincoln,  who  still  favored  the  promo- 
tion of  Mr.  Douglas  to  the  position. 

Seeing  he  could  not  turn  his  purposes,  his  adviser 
admonished  him  of  the  fact  that,  inasmuch  as  Mr. 
Douglas  was  then  dangerously  sick  at  Chicago,  it  would 
be  prudent  to  wait  till  he  had  recovered  before  appoint- 
ing him  to  the  position,  lest  in  the  event  of  his  death, 
the  friends  of  Mr.  Douglas  would  say  that  an  empty 
honor  had  been  conferred  upon  him,  which  it  was  cer- 
tain he  never  could  live  to  enjoy.  This  consideration 
had  its  desired  effect,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  concluded  to  let 


Convention  of  1860.  119 

the  appointment  rest,  to  await  the  result  of  Mr.  Doug- 
las'  sickness.  Within  two  weeks  from  that  time  he  died.* 

There  may  be  some  at  this  time  who  honestly  dep- 
recate the  war,  and  aver  that  the  national  debt  will 
entail  more  evils  upon  the  white  race  than  can  be  com- 
pensated by  the  liberation  of  the  colored  race  ;  but 
even  these  do  not  censure  Mr.  Lincoln,  or  hold  him 
responsible  for  any  national  griefs,  for  by  his  own 
record  he  is  shown  to  have  been  willing  to  save  the 
Union,  either  with  or  without  slavery,  and  his  tardy 
issue  of  the  emancipation  proclamation  till  it  became  a 
sine  qua  non,  as  to  public  confidence  in  the  ability  of 
the  north  to  conquer  the  rebellion,  sufficiently  demon- 
strated his  broad  national  conservatism,  as  well  as  his 
fidelity  to  the  Union.  Such  a  happy  combination  of  all 
the  statesmanlike  qualities  so  necessary  to  guide  the 
tangled  mazes  of  our  civil  war,  could  not  have  grown 
into  being  under  New  England  culture  ;  not  but  what 
she  had  men  superior  to  Mr.  Lincoln  in  any  one  gift, 
but  in  vain  may  we  look  there  for  those  matchless 
virtues,  which  western  pioneer  training,  western 
broad  gauge  statesmanship  and  universal  good  fellow- 
ship has  added  to  their  already  munificent  inheritances 
from  the  east,  and  for  which  an  everlasting  debt  of 
obligation  is  due  her. 

The  west  is  the  child  of  the  east,  and  as  the  parent 
in  the  maturity  of  age  takes  pride  in  the  transcendent 
genius  of  a  son,  so  the  east  beholds  the  zenith  of  im- 
perial power  graduating  westward  as  new  fields  for 
national  grandeur  are  unfolded  in  that  direction, 
quickening  into  activity  generous  purposes,  in  propor- 
tion to  her  accumulating  resources. 

*The  authority  for  this  is  a  statesman  living-,  whose  advanced 
years  are  his  apology  for  not  allowing-  his  name  to  appear,  lest  it 
might  subject  him  to  inquisitive  interviewing-.  He  says,  however, 
that  if  necessary  to  sustain  the  veracity  of  the  writer  he  will  waive 
the  objections  and  give  his  name  to  the  public  as  voucher  for  the 
statement.  [The  Hon.  Ebenezer  Peck  was  the  gentleman  to  whom 
the  author  was  indebted  for  this  information.  His  death  having- 
removed  the  injunction,  his  personality  may  now  be  disclosed. — Ru- 
FUS  BLANCH ARD,  Chicag-o,  June,  1900.] 


120  Convention  of  1860. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  the  incarnate  type  and  model  of 
the  combined  virtues  of  the  western  citizen  ;  and  where 
on  the  face  of  the  great  world  of  progress  can  his 
equal  be  found,  in  his  full  rounded  up  character,  defi- 
cient in  nothing  which  could  bring  strength  to  the 
nation  by  securing  the  services  of  the  working  bees, 
and  not  the  drones,  in  its  great  hive  of  industry? 

Both  of  the  Napoleons  have  made  their  mistakes, 
plain  to  be  seen  by  all,  for  which  they  have  paid  the 
penalty.  Cromwell's  rule  with  all  its  grandeur,  if 
blended  with  Lincoln's  charity,  would  have  secured  the 
full  indorsement  of  the  Massachusetts  colony  (which 
it  never  received),  and  would  have  warded  off  the 
recoil,  which,  at  his  death,  replaced  the  old  dynasty. 
Bismarck,  for  want  of  Lincoln's  charity,  has  of  late 
entangled  Germany  in  a  threatening  religious  issue, 
besides  having  challenged  a  hostile  antagonism  in 
France,  that  cost  the  nation  millions  annually  to  de- 
fend themselves  against. 

The  policy  by  which  even  wise  England  conquered 
Napoleon  at  the  expense  of  their  national  debt,*  has 
long  since  been  acknowledged  by  her  best  statesmen 
to  have  been  a  mistake,  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say, 
would  never  have  had  place,  if  the  conservatism  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  had  prevailed  in  the  English  parlia- 
ment at  the  time.  By  comparing  notes  with  the  world, 
while  we  as  frontierers  can  make  but  a  pitiful  show  in 

*As  a  proof  of  this  the  following'  extract  from  a  letter  from  Rt. 
Hon.  John  Bright,  member  of  parliament  from  Birmingham,  to  the 
author,  is  quoted.  It  is  dated  One  Ash,  Rockdale,  April  8,  1880. 

"  As  to  the  wisdom  of  parliament  at  the  end  of  the  last  and  the 
beginning1  of  the  present  century,  I  suspect  there  was  no  such  thing 
as  wisdom  in  those  times  in  the  British  parliament,  or  in  the  councils 
of  the  king.  And  now  the  time  is  past,  and  little  good  can  come  from 
the  discussion  of  the  good  or  bad  of  what  parliament  then  did." 

The  author  agrees  with  the  distinguished  British  statesman  that 
no  good  can  come  from  discussing  the  above  question.  But  an  allu- 
sion is  here  made  to  it  by  way  of  comparing  notes  between  the  pol- 
icy of  England  and  America  in  the  contracting  of  their  respective 
national  debts,  and  the  author  takes  this  occasion  to  thank  his  honor- 
able correspondent  for  the  frank  expression  of  his  opinion  as  above, 
though  it  censures  the  past  policy  of  his  government.  Not  every 
American  statesman  would  be  equally  ingenuous. 


Convention  of  1860.  121 

science  or  art,  yet  in  that  kind  of  natural  good  sense 
which  our  conditions  have  introduced  into  political 
economy,  we  have  claims  worthy  of  consideration ; 
and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  genius  of  Lin- 
coln, as  the  representative  of  them,  has  crowned  the 
west  with  imperishable  laurels.  It  has  also  proven  the 
elastic  tenacity  of  the  west,  a  bond  essential  to  the 
preservation  of  the  Union  in  times  of  peril,  and  Chicago 
to  be  the  pivot  on  which  the  hinge  turns.  Under  this 
responsibility  the  City  of  the  Lakes  rests  in  her  majesty 
of  power,  not  to  be  challenged,  but  utilized  in  the 
great  fraternity  of  states,  to  which  Chicago  extends 
her  right  hand  in  that  broad  gauge  spirit  of  good  fel- 
lowship, for  which  she  has  a  high  reputation. 

Reckless  partisan  leaders  have  no  hand  in  this  fel- 
lowship. The  general  interests  of  the  country  are  the 
last  things  they  care  for,  for  they  live  on  the  offal  of 
venality,  and  in  proportion  as  political  vices  accumu- 
late, their  services  are  in  demand  to  carry  them,  like 
millstones  about  their  necks,  till  corruption  has 
reached  the  limit  which  the  good  sense  of  the  nation 
will  bear.  Then  comes  the  recoil.  New  men  and  new 
measures  are  brought  to  the  front  in  the  more  forcible 
but  less  noisy  strength  of  justice.  Strong  vices  stimu- 
late into  life  equally  strong  virtues,  to  repair  spolia- 
tion, and  in  no  place  in  the  country  can  these  virtues 
find  an  equally  available  field  for  action,  as  in  the  great 
center  whose  relations  and  associations  are  divided  and 
shared  from  every  direction,  and  whose  charities  are 
broadened  into  a  national  conservatism  too  flexible  to 
be  severed,  and  too  tenacious  to  be  conquered.  Such 
is  now  the  proud  position  of  the  great  northwest  in 
years  that  have  passed.  And  let  it  never  be  forgotten 
that  she  is  the  cradle  of  the  new  national  policy,  which 
every  American  citizen  now  indorses,  and  that  this 
policy  was  the  fruitage  of  the  broad  fields  for  agricult- 
ure that  nature  so  invitingly  spread  for  free  labor  in 
the  west,  outrivaling  the  time  serving  policy  of  slave 


122 


Convention  of  1860. 


labor,  and  changing1  petty  partisan  disputes  in  our 
national  councils  into  grander  issues,  more  worthy  the 
minds  of  American  citizens. 

With  truth  it  may  be  said  that  the  issues  that  di- 
vided the  country  into  two  nearly  equal  parts  before 
this  convention  divide  it  no  longer.  What  at  least 
one  political  party  then  considered  only  a  side  issue, 
every  political  party  now  looks  upon  as  a  national 
issue,  involving  vital  principles  of  public  policy,  now 
settled  on  the  only  permanent  basis  which  "manifest 


destiny"  pointed  out.  Viewed  as  such,  it  becomes  a 
legitimate  theme  for  the  historian,  and  if  left  out  of 
history,  the  treatment  of  all  or  any  other  points  on 
political  history  would  be  in  vain . 

Next  to  the  question  of  slavery  the  question 
whether  we  are  a  solid  nation,  or  a  confederacy  of 
states  whose  integrity  is  subject  to  the  caprices  of 
any  single  one,  has  been  settled. 

The  political  history  of  the  United  States  would 
be  incomplete  without  a  record  of  those  events  which 


The  Anti- Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois. 


123 


gave  birth  to  a  new  party  whose  power  transcended 
the  two  parties  who  had  ruled  the  policy  of  the  coun- 
try, in  a  conservative  spirit,  ever  since  the  downfall  of 
the  old  federal  party. 

Mr.  Washburne  drove  the  entering  wedge  of  disin- 
tegration into  the  most  dominant  of  these  parties,  and 
made  a  chasm  into  which  the  republican  party  entered, 
and  evolutionized  the  policy  of  the  nation.  Mr.  East- 
man has  made  a  record  of  it,  true  to  the  facts,  and  it 
will  enhance  the  value  of  this  record  to  give  a  brief 


sketch  of  the  lives  of  both.  Elihu  Benjamin  Wash- 
burne was  born  in  Li  vermore,  Me.,  September  25,  1816. 
His  grandfather,  Israel,  descended  from  Francis  Cook, 
one  of  the  "Mayflower"  colonists  of  1620,  was  an  officer 
in  the  American  revolution.  He  may  be  called  a  self- 
made  man,  his  education  having  been  begun  on  the 
broad  face  of  nature  on  his  father's  farm.  His  first 
introduction  before  the  public  was  through  the  columns 
of  the  Kennebec  Journal  as  an  editor.  Soon  afterward 
he  entered  a  law  school  at  Harvard,  and  began  the 
practice  of  law  in  1840. 


124  The  Anti- Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois. 

Subsequently  he  settled  in  Galena  and  was  elected 
to  congress  in  1853,  representing1  Illinois  in  that  body 
sixteen  years.  His  sphere  of  statesmanship  broadened 
by  his  responsibilities  during  this  period,  so  as  to  make 
him  the  actor  on  a  new  stage,  as  told  by  Mr.  Eastman 
in  the  following-  pages— and  here  it  should  be  stated, 
that  no  other  one  has  the  material  from  which  to  write 
it  as  well. 

Mr.  Washburne  was  minister  to  France  during1  the 
Franco-German  war  of  1871,  and  remained  in  Paris  dur- 
ing the  remarkable  siege  of  that  city. 

He  died  in  Chicago  October  22,  1887. 

Zebina  Eastman  was  born  in  North  Amherst,  Mass., 
September  8,  1815.  When  nineteen  years  of  age  he  became 
one  of  the  proprietor's  of  the  Vermont  Free  Press,  June  7, 
1834.  In  1837  he  became  associated  with  the  veteran  abo- 
litionist, Benjamin  Lundy,  in  publishing  the  Genius  of 
Universal  Emancipation. 

In  1842,  invited  by  several,  abolitionists  of  Chicago, 
James  H.  Collins,  Dr.  C.  V.  Dyer,  H.  L.  Fulton,  S.  D. 
Childs,  Calvin  De  Wolf,  N.  Eositter,  Rev.  F.  Bascom,  L. 
C.  P.  Freer,  J.  Johnston  and  others,  he  removed  to  Chi- 
cago and  started  the  Western  Citizen,  which  became  not 
only  the  leading  anti-slavery  organ  of  the  northwestern 
states,  but  also  one  of  the  leading  papers  of  Chicago.  He 
ivas  assisted  by  his  friend  Hooper  Warren. 

In  1850  Mr.  Eastman  was  appointed  delegate  for  Illi- 
nois to  the  World'1  s  Peace  Congress  at  Frankfort,  Germany. 
This  was  an  important  epoch  in  his  life.  His  philan- 
thropic heart  took  in  all  reforms  which  he  thought  would 
benefit  mankind.  The  question  of  peace  among  men  was 
at  that  time  much  discussed,  and  plans  for  the  abolition  of 
war  and  strife  and  the  settlement  of  international  disputes 
by  arbitration  ivere  being  promoted  on  both  sides  of  the 
Atlantic. 

In  1861  he  was  appointed  consul  to  Bristol,  England, 
by  President  Lincoln,  which  position  he  held  eight  years. 

He  died  in  the  village  of  May  wood,  III.,  June  14, 1883. 
Mr.  Washburne  made  some  appropriate  remarks  at  his  fu- 
neral, which  was  attended  by  many  friends  who  loved  him. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  ANTI-SLAVERY  AGITATION, 

AND  THE  GROWTH  OF  THE  LIBERTY 

AND  REPUBLICAN  PARTIES  IN 

THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS. 

BY  HON.  Z.  EASTMAN. 

I  have  been  requested  to  write  for  this  work  some 
passages  of  history  bearing  upon  the  late  agitation  of 
the  anti-slavery  question  in  the  west,  and  its  effects 
upon  the  fate  of  the  nation.  It  is  superfluous  to  state 
that  it  is  a  favorite  doctrine  of  our  people,  that  ours  is 
a  government  of  liberty ;  that  liberty  is  the  great  boast 
of  the  nation,  and  the  object  and  end  of  the  struggles 
of  our  forefathers  in  making  this  country  an  asylum  of 
the  oppressed  of  all  lands,  and  achieving  finally 
national  independence.  Consequently,  when  the  form 
of  government  first  began  to  take  shape,  it  was  upon 
this  declaration,  which  it  was  assumed  was  a  self-evi- 
dent truth,  "that  all  men  were  then  equal,  and  are  en- 
dowed by  their  Creator  with  certain  inalienable  rights, 
among  which  are  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happi- 
ness." 

The  patriots  of  the  revolution,  who  achieved  their 
independence,  were  doubtless  sincere  believers  in  this 
truth.  They  had  no  mental  reservations,  that  is,  the 
most  of  them ;  and  believed  that  the  doctrine  applied 
to  black  men  and  slaves,  as  well  as  to  white  men. 

They  did  not  say,  and  they  did  not  mean,  that  white 
men,  when  they  combined  to  make  a  new  government, 
were  then  equal,  etc. ,  as  a  distinguished  senator  from 
Illinois  once  stated  they  meant  to  say. 

(126) 


126  The  Anti-Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois. 

It  was  very  consistent  with  this  doctrine  of  the 
fathers  of  the  revolution,  that  when  the  nation  had  re- 
ceived the  bequest  of  a  large  area  of  territory  which 
was  by  nature  free  from  slavery,  they  should  have 
taken  special  pains  to  guarantee  that  state  of  freedom 
for  all  future  time.  Negro  slavery,  they  said,  had  been 
forced  upon  the  colonies  by  the  policy  of  the  mother 
country;  and  as  it  was  found  existing  in  all  the  original 
territories,  they  could  see  no  other  way  but  to  leave  it 
to  time  and  Providence  for  its  extirpation.  But  wher- 
ever the  nation  began  new  it  would  keep  itself  clear  of 
this  admitted  curse.  The  nation  had  no  territory  of  its 
own.  It  was  all  made  up  of  the  areas  of  the  provinces 
or  colonies  that  had  entered  into  the  confederation 
which  was  formed  to  secure  national  independence. 
After  the  treaty  of  Paris  in  1783,  the  United  States  be- 
came territorial  owners  of  the  country  intervening  be- 
tween the  colonial  settlement  and  the  Mississippi  river. 
Consequently,  the  states  which  held  territory  outside 
of  their  administrative  limits  ceded  such  territory  to 
the  nation  as  a  body  capable  of  inheriting  and  of  hold- 
ing such  an  estate.  And  therefore  Connecticut  and 
Virginia  relinquished  their  jurisdiction  over  the  vast 
regions  of  wild  and  uncultivated  lands  in  the  north- 
west, which  they  held  by  virtue  of  their  colonial  char- 
ters. Virginia  ceded  the  larger  part  in  a  state  of  nature. 
Land  unoccupied  by  civilized  man,  though  full  of  the 
wealth  of  the  forest  and  the  mine,  is  as  valueless  as  the 
waves  on  the  ocean.  So  the  Virginia  territory  of  the 
northwest  was  money-valueless  to  the  state  if  it  re- 
mained without  population.  Without  impoverishing 
herself  she  gave  to  the  nation  the  vast  territory,  and  in 
so  doing  she  gave  it  an  empire.  But  she  coupled  with 
the  gift  the  condition  that  it  should  be  kept  free  forever 
from  that  curse  of  slavery  which  already  was  then  be- 
ginning to  prey  upon  her  own  vitals.  Thus  originated 
the  ordinance  for  the  government  of  the  northwest 
territory,  which  was  passed  by  congress  in  1787,  as  the 


The  Anti-  Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois.  127 

condition  of  receiving-  the  donation  of  the  territory 
from  Virginia.  Art.  VI  of  the  said  ordinance  provides: 
"There  shall  be  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servi- 
tude in  the  said  territory  otherwise  than  in  the  punish- 
ment of  crimes  whereof  the  party  shall  have  been  duly 
convicted. ' ' 

On  the  passage  of  this  clause  of  the  ordinance, 
finally  rested  the  fate  of  the  nation.  It  was  originally 
insisted  upon  (it  is  said)  as  a  political  and  economical 
measure — that  to  give  to  the  land  a  marketable  value, 
for  the  settlement  of  free  and  independent  laborers  and 
owners  of  the  soil,  it  should  be  kept  free  from  slavery. 
Whatever  the  motive,  it  has  proved  to  have  been  in  the 
largest  degree  profitable  and  wise,  and  a  controlling 
policy  in  the  fate  of  the  nation.  It  was  in  this  sphere, 
and  in  the  area  of  the  northwest  territory,  that  the 
problem  was  solved  that  finally  delivered  the  nation 
from  the  incubus  of  slavery.  The  consecration  of  the 
northwest  to  freedom  by  the  state,  of  Virginia  became 
the  nucleus  of  the  power  that  delivered  the  nation. 
The  story  of  this  achievement,  to  a  large  extent  yet 
unwritten,  except  in  the  acts  of  men,  is  to  form  the 
chapter  of  history  we  are  about  to  write. 

The  northwestern  ordinance,  so  called,  was  the 
ratification  of  the  deed  of  cession  for  the  territory  lo- 
cally defined  as  "lying  within  the  United  States,  north- 
west of  the  Ohio  river,"  and  it  declares  that  there 
should  be  formed  in  the  said  territory  not  less  than 
three  and  not  more  than  five  states.  And  in  the  terri- 
tory were  organized,  as  population  rapidly  increased, 
the  five  states  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan  and 
Wisconsin.  It  then  embraced  all  the  territory  within 
the  boundaries  of  the  United  States  lying  outside  of 
special  jurisdiction,  for  the  southern  Atlantic  states 
claimed  that  their  boundaries  extended  to  the  French 
and  Spanish  possessions  at  the  west  and  south.  In  this 
"earlier  and  better  day,"  we  see  that  the  policy  was  to 
make  all  national  territory  free,  and  not  divide  it,  as 


128  The  Anti-  Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois. 

the  Missouri  compromise  indicated,  into  half  free  and 
half  slave ;  or  make  it  all  slave,  as  the  repealers  of  the 
compromise  evidently  intended. 

Besides  the  exclusion  of  slavery  from  the  territory 
we  may  judge  the  tone  of  the  times  and  the  character 
of  the  instrument  from  such  clauses  as  these:  "All 
fines  shall  be  moderate ;  and  no  cruel  or  unusual  punish- 
ment shall  be  inflicted.  No  man  shall  be  deprived  of 
his  liberty  or  property,  but  by  the  judgment  of  his 
peers  or  the  law  of  the  land.  Should  public  exigencies 
make  it  necessary  *  *  to  take  any  person's  prop- 
erty, or  demand  his  particular  services,  full  compensa- 
tion shall  be  made."  And  better  still:  "Religion, 
morality  and  knowledge  being  necessary  to  good  gov- 
ernment and  the  happiness  of  mankind,  schools  and  the 
means  of  education  shall  forever  be  encouraged." 
There  ought  to  have  been  good  government  on  such  a 
charter.  To  this  northwest  territory,  under  the  im- 
pulse of  freedom,  came  rapidly  an  energetic  and  intelli- 
gent population,  making  homes  and  civil  society  on  the 
fertile  lands,  which  probably  surpassed  any  other  equal 
area  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  It  became  the  empire  to 
which  the  moral  and  political  power  of  the  nation  con- 
centrated. 

But  there  was  a  strong  impulse  to  emigrate  from 
the  slave  states  to  this  region,  as  well  as  from  the 
northern  states,  which  were  fast  throwing  off  the  rem- 
nants of  the  slave  system  that  had  clung  to  them. 
Many  of  the  people  of  the  south  came  to  the  northwest 
to  get  rid  of  slavery,  but  they  often  retained  the  pre- 
judices in  which  they  had  been  educated.  There  was, 
however,  a  strong  feeling  among  the  early  settlers  that 
the  slavery  prohibition  was  acting  detrimentally  to  the 
growth  and  development  of  the  country  of  the  north- 
west, a  section  to  which  all  eyes  were  turned,  as  since 
they  have  been  turned  to  the  lands  beyond  the  Missis- 
sippi and  the  Pacific  coast.  There  was  not  always  ab- 
solute faith  in  free  labor  in  conflict  with  slave  labor. 


The  Anti- Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois.  129 

There  were  many  dissatisfied  persons,  who  held 
public  meetings  and  memorialized  congress  to  obtain 
a  removal  of  the  restriction  for  a  limited  time,  that 
southern  planters  might  be  induced  to  move  into  the 
territory  with  their  slaves.  A  sort  of  quasi  slavery  was 
introduced  in  the  name  of  apprentices,  which  gave  a 
slave  code  to  Illinois,  in  spite  of  the  slavery  prohibition 
clause.  So  good  a  man  as  Wm.  Henry  Harrison  was 
made  president  of  a  convention  at  Vincennes,  Territory 
of  Indiana,  in  1804,  the  object  of  which  was  to  promote 
territorial  interests  by  obtaining  a  modification  of  this 
organic  law.  We  see  now  what  was  gained  by  holding 
fast  to  the  right  thing,  against  the  popular  drift  and  a 
short  sighted  policy.  The  slavery  prohibition  clause 
was  the  vital  element  in  the  prosperity  of  the  north- 
west, when  the  tide  of  population  finally  had  set  in  this 
direction. 

But  there  were  many  who  had  been  trained  in  the 
notion  that  slavery  was  the  only  element  of  prosperity 
at  the  south,  who  were  constantly  harping  on  that  one 
string:  "Let  slavery  be  introduced  into  the  north- 
west. "  At  so  late  a  time  as  1839  and  1840,  after  the  mur- 
der of  Lovejoy,  and  when  the  state  was  loaded  down 
by  weight  of  debt  and  depression  of  business,  there 
were  men  of  influence  who  declared  there  was  no  other 
way  for  the  state  to  be  delivered  from  its  ' '  Slough  of 
Despond,"  but  to  call  a  state  convention  and  alter  the 
constitution,  so  that  slavery  might  be  legally  intro- 
duced. It  was  the  thought  of  some  that  there  could  be 
no  prosperity  unless  some  one  did  the  work  of  another 
for  nothing.  In  much  earlier  times  there  were  promi- 
nent men  in  this  state  who  persistently  held  to  such 
views,  and  they  were  carried  into  political  action  to 
that  extent'  that  the  supporters  of  this  policy  were  de- 
fined as  the  ' '  slave  party. ' ' 

The  territorial  legislature  of  Illinois  seemed  to 
favor  the  measure,  but  it  produced  a  partial  reaction, 
so  that  an  anti-slavery  delegate,  Jonathan  Jennings, 


130  The  Anti- Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois. 

was  elected  to  congress,  who  retained  his  place  until 
Illinois  was  admitted  as  one  of  the  states  of  the  Union, 
in  1818.  In  1824  the  question  of  the  admission  of 
slavery  came  up  so  prominently  in  what  was  called  the 
convention  issue,  which  was  to  call  a  convention  to 
alter  the  constitution  to  admit  slavery,  that  it  became 
a  marked  chapter  in  the  history  of  Illinois.  Gov.  Coles 
was  distinguished  as  an  anti-slavery  man  on  this  ques- 
tion. He  had  moved  into  the  state  from  Virginia,  had 
emancipated  his  slaves,  and  settled  them  on  land  near 
Edwardsville.  It  required  a  vote  of  two-thirds  of  the 
legislature  to  call  a  convention  for  the  people  to  vote 
to  alter  the  constitution.  And  so  strong  was  the 
slavery  party  in  the  state  that  they  lacked  only  one 
vote  of  getting  the  constitutional  two-thirds  in  favor  of 
the  measure  at  first;  and  by  a  legislative  trick  this  one 
was  at  last  gained,  and  a  vote  of  the  people  for  the  con- 
vention was  authorized;  but  in  August,  1824,  it  «was 
voted  down  by  the  people  by  a  majority  of  1,800  in  a 
vote  of  12,000.* 

On  such  a  slender  thread  as  this  did  the  fate  of  the 
state  and  the  nation  hang,  as  the  truth  of  history 
shows. 

There  was  in  1824,  in  consequence  of  these  schemes 
for  slavery,  a  strong  contesting  anti-slavery  party  in 
Illinois.  This  was  after  the  passage  of  the  Missouri 
compromise,  in  1820,  and  when  there  had  come  a  re- 
lapse in  the  anti-slavery  feeling  everywhere  else  in  the 
country. 

Benjamin  Lundy  was  at  that  time  printing  in 
Tennessee  the  first  anti-slavery  newspaper  ever  is- 
sued. The  slavery  question  was  then  'generally  ad- 
mitted to  be  a  matter  to  be  determined  by  the  people 
of  the  slave  states  for  themselves.  From  Lundy 's  ef- 
forts came  the  agitation  of  modern  abolitionism.  It 
took  on  a  new  and  more  energetic  phase,  when  Garri- 

*Mr.  Washburne's"Life  of  Gov.  Coles"  gives  a  vivid  picture  of  this 
contest. 


The  Anti- Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois.  131 

son,  a  disciple  of  Lundy's,  started  his  Liberator  at 
Boston,  in  1830.  Those  who  took  interest  in  the  anti- 
slavery  discussion  that  grew  out  of  the  Missouri  com- 
promise in  1820  looked  upon  this  convention  question 
in  Illinois  as  one  of  national  importance — should  the 
apostasy  of  the  Missouri  question  lead  to  the  abroga- 
tion of  the  northwestern  ordinance  ?  and  shall  the  whole 
territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio  river  be  given  up  to 
slavery  by  a  vote  of  the  people,  on  the  primitive  squat- 
ter sovereignty  assumption,  in  spite  of  the  Missouri 
compromise? 

It  was  during  the  time  that  these  apostate  settlers 
were  proposing  to  repeal  this  restriction  clause  in  the 
ordinance,  and  after  the  slavery  question  was  being 
agitated  in  Illinois,  that  Thomas  Jefferson  wrote  his 
famous  letter,  in  1814,  to  Gov.  Edward  Coles,  on  the 
condition  of  the  slave  and  the  hopes  of  his  emancipa- 
tion. He  says  :  "  The  love  of  justice,  and  the  love  of 
country  plead  equally  the  cause  of  these  people  ;  and 
it  is  a  moral  reproach  to  us  that  they  should  have  plead 
so  long  in  vain.  *  *  *  From  those  of  the  former 
generation  who  were  in  the  fullness  of  age  when  I  came 
into  public  life,  which  was  while  our  controversy  with 
England  was  on  paper  only,  I  soon  saw  that  nothing 
was  to  be  hoped.  *  *  *  I  had  always  hoped  that 
the  younger  generation — receiving  their  early  impres- 
sions after  the  flame  of  liberty  had  been  kindled  in 
every  breast,  and  had  become,  as  it  were,  the  vital 
spark  of  every  American,  in  the  generous  tempera- 
ment of  youth,  analogous  to  the  motion  of  their  blood, 
and  above  the  suggestions  of  avarice — would  have 
sympathized  with  oppression  wherever  found,  and 
proved  their  love  of  liberty  beyond  their  own  share  of 
it.  *  *  *  Yet  the  hour  of  emancipation  is  advanc- 
ing in  the  march  of  time." 

Hardly  thirteen  years  had  passed  away  before  this 
anti-slavery  party  of  Illinois  seemed  to  have  perished, 
or  the  men  leading  in  it  taking  opposite  sides,  when 


132  The  Anti- Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois. 

the  question  came  up  on  new  issues.  Hooper  War- 
ren, who  had  been  the  single  newspaper  editor  who 
opposed  the  convention,  was  almost  the  only  man  alive 
of  the  old  associates,  who  ranked  himself  with  the 
modern  abolitionists.  Rev.  John  M.  Peck,  who  had 
been  an  active  opponent  of  the  introduction  of  slavery 
into  Illinois,  was  active  in  opposition  to  modern  aboli- 
tionism, and  was  regarded  as  pro-slavery,  and  was  en- 
gaged as  editor  of  the  Southwestern  Baptist  Banner 
— a  newspaper  that  was  completely  acceptable  to  a  de- 
nomination that  owned  one  of  their  preachers  as  a 
slave,  and  to  a  church  where  one  of  the  female  mem- 
bers sold  a  brother  Baptist,  and  contributed  the  avails 
of  the  sale  of  the  brother's  flesh  and  blood  to  buy  the 
plate  for  the  communion  service.  But  still  the  truth 
seemed  to  be  left  in  the  land,  like  the  leaven,  to  bring 
the  dead  mass  to  life  again;  and  emancipation  went 
marching  on  with  time. 

About  ten  years  after  this  convention  project  was 
settled,  Rev.  E.  P.  Lovejoy  was  found  in  St.  Louis, 
editing  a  religious  newspaper,  in  which,  under  the 
privileges  of  the  free  press,  he  claimed  the  right  to  dis- 
cuss the  subject  of  slavery  as  a  moral  question. 

That  right  was  denied  him,  and  he  was  driven  out 
of  St.  Louis,  and  he  sought  a  city  of  refuge  in  Illinois, 
at  Alton.  Here  he  claimed  only  the  same  right,  not  to 
be  an  abolitionist,  but  the  freedom  of  the  press  to  dis- 
cuss slavery  as  freely  as  any  moral  question.  And  that 
right  was  again  denied  him  in  Alton  by  the  voice  of  the 
populace,  but  not  by  the  law.  One  press  after  another 
was  destroyed,  he  still  persisting  in  standing  by  his 
rights. 

In  the  month  of  November,  1837,  he  was  killed  by 
a  mob,  and  in  thirteen  years  after  the  state  had  de- 
liberately decided  to  stand  for  the  liberty  that  was 
guaranteed  her  in  the  ordinance  for  her  government, 
she  gained  the  unenviable  title  of  being  the  Martyr 
State,  by  suffering  one  of  the  truest  men  that  ever 


The  Anti-Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois.  133 

lived,  to  die  for  the  very  cause  that  she  had  made  alive. 
There  were  very  few  people  in  the  state  to  raise  any 
voice  of  condemnation  against  this  outrage.  Devout  men 
carried  Love  joy  to  his  burial,  and  a  brother  minister 
made  a  prayer  over  his  grave,  at  which  only  were  pres- 
ent, for  fear  of  the  mob,  but  one  or  two  faithful  friends 
and  relatives.  A  cluster  of  brother  ministers  of  the 
new  school  Presbyterians  and  Congregationalists,  and 
pious  members  of  these  churches,  stood  by  him  in  his 
conflicts  for  the  freedom  of  the  press,  and  lamented 
him  when  dead,  and  had  their  zeal  for  the  same  cause 
inspired  by  his  example.  Every  important  town  in  the 
state  seemed  emulous  of  the  example  of  Alton.  It  'was 
the  exultant  boast  of  the  people  of  Illinois,  in  1837,  that 
no  abolition  newspaper  could  be  permitted  on  her  soil. 
Abolitionism,  a  "word  covered  o'er  with  shame,"  al- 
ways meant,  and  only  meant,  the  freedom  of  the  slave 
— that  emancipation,  which  Jefferson  so  hopefully  saw 
advancing  in  the  march  of  time. 

Soon  after  the  murder  of  Lovejoy,  there  was  a 
meeting  called  in  Chicago — not  to  sympathize  with  the 
cause  of  abolitionism,  but  to  condemn  this  assault  on 
the  constitutional  right  of  the  freedom  of  the  press.  It 
was  called  to  be  held  in  the  Saloon  building,  a  small 
public  hall  on  the  corner  of  Clark  and  Lake  streets,  on 
the  third  floor,  and  the  meeting  was  held  not  without 
fears  that  it  would  be  broken  up  by  a  mob.  There  was 
an  abundance  of  caution  used  in  the  calling  and  holding 
of  the  meeting,  to  avoid  any  collision  ' '  with  the  fellows 
of  the  baser  sort."  Rev.  F.  Bascom,  of  the  First  Pres- 
byterian church,  Dr.  C.  V.  Dyer,  Philo  Carpenter, 
Robert  Freeman,  Calvin  De  Wolf,  and  some  few  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  and  Methodist  churches,  were  the 
leading  spirits  of  this  meeting.  A  watch  was  set  to 
give  seasonable  warning  of  any  approach  of  a  mob, 
should  any  one  be  sent  upon  the  track  of  these  devout 
men,  mourning  for  Lovejoy,  and  endeavoring  to  give 
voice  to  a  right  minded  public  opinion.  But  there  was, 


134  The  Anti-Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois. 

happily,  no  demonstration  of  mob  violence.  The  meet- 
ing was  not  a  large  one,  but  probably  fully  represented 
the  interest  which  Chicago  then  took  in  the  fate  of  Love- 
joy;  the  city  was  at  least  saved  from  the  disgrace  of  a 
mob.  It  was  not  then  presumed  that  an  abolition  press 
would  have  fared  any  better  in  Chicago  than  it  had  at 
Alton.  The  public  were  not  prepared  to  tolerate  any 
such  newspapers. 

This  was  the  first  anti-slavery  meeting,  if  it  may 
be  called  such,  held  in  Chicago,  of  which  there  is  any 
recollection.  The  men  who  were  present  became  promi- 
nent afterward  in  the  anti-slavery  history  of  Chicago. 
The  men  who  were  willing  to  be  known  as  abolitionists, 
soon  after  this  event,  were  mainly  a  nucleus  that 
formed  around  the  First  Presbyterian  church,  embrac- 
ing a  few  individuals  who  were  Methodists  or  Baptists ; 
but  in  almost  every  instance  they  were  professing 
Christians,  who  were  led  to  take  a  stand  by  the  death 
of  Love  joy.  Here  was  the  beginning  of  that  anti- 
slavery  sentiment  that  became  a  power  in  Chicago, 
and  made  that  city  distinguished  throughout  the  coun- 
try, as  one  that  proved  itself  a  law  abiding  community 
by  sheltering  and  protecting  the  fugitive  slave  against 
illegal  arrest. 

A  few  months  after  the  death  of  Love  joy,  the  peo- 
ple of  the  west  saw  this  announcement  in  G.  D.  Pren- 
tice's Louisville  Journal:  "Benjamin  Lundy,  the 
Quaker  and  anti-slavery  pioneer,  is  about  to  go  to  Illi- 
nois to  succeed  Lovejoy  in  printing  an  abolition  news- 
paper. ' '  Prentice  had  known  of  the  career  of  Lundy, 
and  was  personally  friendly.  It  was  then  said  that 
Lundy,  the  non-resistant  Quaker,  who  was  known  as 
a  prudent  though  a  fearless  man,  was  the  only  person 
the  merciless  people  of  Illinois  would  let  live  in  their 
midst  as  the  publisher  of  a  newspaper  that  opposed 
slavery,  and  it  was  very  doubtful  if  even  he  could  find 
a  place  for  the  rest  of  the  soles  of  his  feet  in  the 
prairie  state.  But  during  the  year  1838,  Lundy, 


The  Anti- Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois.  135 

according1  to  promise,  made  his  appearance  in  Illinois. 
The  last  compliment  paid  him  before  he  left  Philadel- 
phia was  the  burning  of  all  his  worldly  effects  by  the 
mob  in  Pennsylvania  hall.  He  had  only  a  subscrip- 
tion book  to  begin  his  publication  with  in  Illinois. 
The  Genius  of  Universal  Emancipation,  a  paper  which 
had  been  printed  for  years,  in  different  cities  and 
states,  now  hailed  from  Hennepin,  but  was  really 
printed  at  Lowell,  La  Salle  county.  The  notable  thing1 
about  this  paper  for  our  purpose  in  this  connection, 
was  that  it  carried  upon  its  frontlet  this  motto :  ' '  We 
hold  these  truths  to  be  self-evident,  that  all  men  are 
created  equal,"  etc.  This  was  the  motto  and  the  plat- 
form of  Lundy's  journal ;  the  paper  was  for  the  restora- 
tion of  the  doctrines  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence in  1776. 

We  can  better  understand  this  line  of  argument,  in 
history,  by  referring  to  the  character  of  the  anti-slavery 
agitation,  as  carried  on  by  different  sects  in  different 
sections  of  the  country.  The  anti-slavery  movement 
was  largely  an  emanation  of  the  religious  sentiment. 
Leading  men  in  it  were  usually  professing  Christians 
and  largely  developed  in  the  line  of  personal  piety  and 
human  benevolence.  There  were  a  few  persons  who 
were  earnest  abolitionists  who  were  avowed  unbe- 
lievers, and  probably  from  a  logical  inference  growing 
out  of  the  fact  that  the  majority  of  the  professing 
Christians  of  the  country  pretended  to  believe  that  the 
Bible  authorized  slavery,  making  God  the  author  of 
that  abominable  system  of  iniquity.  But  slavery  in 
all  its  aspects  was  very  largely  a  political  institution. 
It  was  created  by  law;  it  must  be  abolished  by  law. 
There  was  no  class  of  abolitionists  that  proposed  the 
removal  of  slavery  by  the  political  power  of  the  nation. 
It  was  universally  regarded  as  a  state  institution,  and 
it  was  a  perversion  of  the  facts  and  a  misrepresentation 
of  the  position  of  the  agitators,  the  assertion  that  there 


136  The  Anti-  Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois. 

was  any  purpose  to  meddle  with  slavery  by  an  undue 
exercise  of  legal  authority. 

It  was  a  movement  for  a  moral  appeal  to  the  slave- 
holders to  action,  of  themselves,  for  their  own  salva- 
tion. Therefore  the  fact  should  be  remembered  that 
many  of  the  active  abolitionists  were  among  and  from 
the  slaveholders  of  the  south  ;  and  a  sad  thing  it  was 
for  the  people  there  that  they  drove  such  men  from 
their  midst.  The  abolition  party  was  divided  up  into 
sects  ;  some  were  for  carrying  that  reform  mixed  up 
with  other  good  measures,  such  as  woman  suffrage, 
land  reform  and  temperance.  Some  were  for  making 
it  a  political  question,  carrying  it  to  the  polls,  as  they 
said  ;  others  were  not  for  soiling  the  reform  in  the 
muddy  waters  of  politics.  Garrison  stands  forth  as  a 
leader,  but  he  was  not  for  voting  at  all,  and  declared 
for  "  no  union  with  slaveholders,"  in  church  or  state. 
The  voting  abolitionists  formed  a  political  party  in 
1840,  and  nominated  James  G .  Birney,  formerly  a  slave- 
holder, for  the  presidency. 

But  this  section  was  again  divided  into  other  sects. 
Some  were  only  free  soil ;  some  merely  against  the 
extension  of  slavery,  and  the  Gerrit  Smith  section  was 
the  very  antipodes  of  the  Garrisonian  section.  They 
believed  in  the  unconstitutionality  of  slavery,  and 
would  have  had  it  smitten  down  by  a  decree  of  the 
United  States  court.  Garrison's  special  characteristic 
was  his  repetition  of  Elizabeth  Heyrick's  English 
propagandism  of  immediate  and  unconditional  emanci- 
pation, as  in  opposition  to  gradual  emancipation,  on 
the  logical  inference  that  slavery,  being  a  sin,  should  be 
immediately  forsaken  by  profession  of  repentance. 
Great  stress  is  laid  on  Garrison's  work  for  originating 
this  doctrine  in  this  country,  and  giving  it,  as  it  was 
said  to  do,  the  great  moral  power  that  carried  it 
through  to  success  in  emancipation.  But  the  virtue  of 
this  claim  is  much  over-rated.  Garrison  did  not  orig- 
inally preach  it,  nor  was  it  finally  carried  to  comple- 


The  Anti- Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois.  137 

tion  in  the  ending  of  slavery.  Emancipation  came 
through  the  madness  of  the  slaveholders  and  the  use 
of  the  war  power,  in  judgment  without  repentance. 

But  there  were  anti-slavery  people  among  all  these 
sects,  excepting  the  non-resistants,  who  believed  in  the 
saving  power  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
They  believed  in  the  necessity  of  continuing  to  admin- 
ister the  national  government  on  the  principles  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  and  that  failing  to  do  so, 
all  political  parties  had  gone  into  a  state  of  apostasy. 
The  reform  in  Illinois,  particularly,  was  propagated  on 
this  basis.  Anti-slavery  men  here  were  trained  to  be 
so,  on  the  truths  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
They  were  never  divided  or  troubled  with  the  divisions 
that  characterized  the  east,  under  the  stringent  lead 
of  Garrison,  Gerrit  Smith  or  Greeley.  They  fellow- 
shiped  all  these,  but  followed  the  lead  of  none  of 
them.  They  were  working  for  a  genuine  liberty  party 
to  administer  the  government  on  the  constitution  as  it 
is  under  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  It  is  neces- 
sary that  this  explanation  and  distinction  be  under- 
stood, as  we  proceed  further  in  this  hitherto  unwritten 
history. 

Benjamin  Lundy,  the  pioneer,  as  we  have  said, 
when  he  came  to  Illinois,  set  up  the  banner  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  on  the  ground  of  the 
ordinance  of  '87.*  He  had  always  held  up  that  banner. 
It  was  always  the  motto  of  his  paper.  Lovejoy's  Alton 
Observer  was  in  no  sense  a  political  paper  ;  it  was  a 
Presbyterian  religious  journal,  claiming  the  right  to 
discuss  slavery  as  a  moral  question.  The  liberty  party 
of  1840  was  not  formed  when  Lundy  came  to  this  state ; 
he  died  the  year  before  its  organization.  Lundy 
favored  such  a  party  in  politics,  based  upon  the  motto 
of  his  paper.  His  Genius,  through  many  difficulties, 
was  only  irregularly  published.  He  lived  only  to  set 
up  that  banner,  to  become  the  nucleus  of  a  new  party, 

*For  history  of  his  ordinance  see  pp.  256  to  261,  Vol.  I  of  this  work. 


138  The  Anti- Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois. 

and  one  which  at  last  should  triumph  in  the  nation. 
His  leading  idea  was  armed  with  ten-fold  more  force 
than  Garrison's  immediatism  or  Gerrit  Smith's  uncon- 
stitutionally of  slavery.  It  was  for  going1  back  to  fun- 
damental truths,  and  putting  all  things  right  from  the 
beginning.  He  died  leaving  his  banner  flying,  and  his 
mantle  to  be  worn  by  others. 

His  newspaper  was  continued  with  a  partial 
change  of  name,  by  Hooper  Warren  and  Z.  Eastman, 
the  writer  of  this  sketch.  But  the  motto  and  the  prin- 
ciples and  objects  continued.  Mr.  Warren  was  then  an 
old  man,  and  had  been  the  editor  of  the  only  anti-slavery 
paper  in  Illinois,  the  Edwardsville  Spectator,  at  the 
time  of  the  convention  question.  Mr.  Eastman  was 
a  young  man,  and  had  never  acted  with  any  then  formed 
political  party,  but  whose  youthful  aspirations  and 
hopes  had  been,  while  residing  in  New  England,  for  the 
formation  of  a  political  organization  delivered  from  the 
national  apostasy,  which  should  administer  the  govern- 
ment on  the  doctrine  of  the  fathers — the  natural  equal- 
ity of  all.  He  had  advocated  such  a  party  while  asso- 
ciated with  Mr.  Lundy  in  his  Genius. 

In  1840  a  Birney  presidential  ticket  was  formed  in 
Illinois,  in  the  rural  region  of  Farmington,  Fulton 
county,  by  those  who  had  stood  by  Love  joy  at  his  death. 
It  received  at  that  election  only  144  votes,  only  one  of 
which  was  counted  in  Cook  county,  and  the  honor  of 
that  one  count  lies  between  two  votes  cast  in  Chicago, 
one  by  the  late  Dr.  C.  V.  Dyer,  and  the  other,  Calvin  De 
Wolf.  The  successor  of  Lundy's  journal,  the  Genius  of 
Liberty,  did  not  appear  till  after  the  election  of  1840, 
but  it  advocated  the  continuation  of  the  Liberty  party 
in  opposition  to  a  large  portion  of  friends  who  had  co-op- 
erated with  the  anti-slavery  society.  The  Illinois  anti- 
slavery  society  had  been  formed  at  Alton,  just  before 
Lovejoy's  death,  and  was  one  of  the  steps  that  led  to  the 
hostility  that  was  manifested  against  the  abolitionists, 
and  the  organization  was  cemented  by  his  blood.  Annual 


The  Anti- Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois.  139 

meetings  of  this  society  continued  to  be  held  and  officers 
elected,  but  many  persons  who  had  supported  it  were 
opposed  to  the  formation  of  an  anti-slavery  party  in  pol- 
itics, and  they  turned  back  and  walked  no  more  with  the 
followers  of  Lovejoy. 

Warren  and  Eastman's  Genius  was  printed  on 
Lundy's  press,  in  La  Salle  county,  till  1842,  and  it  had 
succeeded  in  establishing  landmarks  in  all  sections  of 
the  northwest.  The  only  other  journal  of  the  kind 
then  printed  in  the  west  was  the  Philanthropist,  at  Cin- 
cinnati. An  informal  committee  of  the  anti-slavery  peo- 
ple of  Chicago,  who  had  made  up  their  minds  that  they 
should  no  longer  vote  with  the  old  political  parties,  a 
majority  of  whom  were  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  F.  Bascom,  invited 
Mr.  Eastman  to  remove  with  his  newspaper  to  Chicago- 
Dr.  Dyer  was  the  party  commissioned  to  extend  this 
invitation.  As  the  result  of  it  the  Western  Citizen  was 
started  as  the  organ  of  the  new  Liberty  party  for  the 
northwest  in  1842.  That  journal  made  the  platform  of 
this  party  in  the  introduction  which  appeared  in  its  first 
number,  as  follows: 

In  political  affairs  our  object  is  simply  to  carry  out  the' principles 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  We  stand  on  the  same  ground 
where  Washington,  Jefferson,  Franklin  and  other  honored  patriots 
stood  before  us.  We  wish  to  save  this  nation  from  the  evils  an  the 
curse  of  slavery,  and  from  the  political  degeneracy  which  has  fallen 
upon  us  through  the  influence  of  a  departure  from  the  first  principles 
of  liberty.  If  the  objects  which  were  sought  to  be  obtained  by  the 
political  reformation  in  the  time  of  the  revolution  were  then  worthy 
of  pursuit,  they  are  equally  so  now;  and  we  shall  notecase  to  urge  the 
importance  of  them  upon  the  people. 

We  are  firm  in  the  belief  that  it  is  impossible  to  sustain  a  free  gov- 
ernment by  the  administration  even  of  good  laws  without  the  preva- 
lence of  correct  public  opinion,  grounded  upon  morality  and  proper 
allegiance  to  the  Supreme  Ruler  of  the  Universe. 

We  shall  endeavor  to  establish  these  truths  by  presenting  them 
clearly,  forcibly  and  fearlessly,  and  in  a  spirit  of  meekness  and  kind- 
ness. On  their  accomplishment  we  see  no  reason  why  our  government 
should  be  overturned,  our  constitution  trampled  under  foot,  or  the 
Union  dissolved :  or  why  the  church  organizations  should  be  destroyed, 
or  the  ministry  be  annihilated.  We  wish  it  distinctly  to  be  understood 
that  our  course  is  reformatory  and  not  destructive. 

When  Mr.  Lincoln  had  been  elected  to  the  presi- 
dency, eighteen  years  after  this  declaration  of  princi- 


140  The  Anti- Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois. 

pies  was  written,  a  copy  was  transmitted  to  him,  calling 
his  attention  to  them  as  the  fundamental  principles  of 
the  republican  party,  which  had  triumphed  in  his  elec- 
tion, and  he  responded  in  recognizing  their  application, 
and  inviting  a  special  interview  with  the  writer  in  re- 
gard to  them. 

In  May,  1842,  at  the  time  when  arrangements  had 
been  made  for  establishing  the  Western  Citizen,  the  last 
anniversary  meeting  of  the  Illinois  anti-slavery  society 
was  held  in  Chicago,  and  the  first  liberty  state  conven- 
tion was  held,  which,  as  a  political  organization  suc- 
ceeded the  other  as  a  mere  moral  society.  This  state 
convention  laid  down  a  platform  of  principles,  and  is- 
sued an  address  to  the  people.  One  resolution  gives 
the  gist  of  its  doctrines  : 

That  freedom  or  slavery  is  the  great  question  of  this  age  and 
country — one  which  must  be  met,  discussed  and  settled  on  fair,  just 
and  consistent  principles,  before  prosperity  can  be  expected  again  to 
smile  on  our  land. 

We  can  understand  now  the  application  of  these 
truths  and  warnings,  and  how  much  better  it  would 
have  been  for  the  nation  had  they  been  heeded. 

The  convention  put  in  nomination  Major  C.  W. 
Hunter,  of  Alton,  for  governor,  and  Frederick  Collins, 
of  Adams  county,  for  lieutenant-governor.  These  were 
the  first  candidates  of  that  initiatory  party. 

The  Western  Citizen  was  put  into  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Eastman  as  its  editor  and  publisher.  By  his  invita- 
tion, Ichabod  Codding,  whom  he  had  known  at  the 
east,  left  Connecticut  and  came  to  Illinois  to  become 
the  leading  orator  for  the  liberty  party.  Chief  Justice 
Chase  has  described  Mr.  Codding  as  being  the  most 
eloquent  speaker  he  ever  heard  from  the  platform.  The 
labors  of  Codding,  as  a  speaker,  were  very  effective  in 
building  up  the  cause.  Owen  Lovejoy  became  a  co- 
worker  with  this  party  at  this  convention,  giving  up 
with  some  reluctance  the  society  formed  at  his 
brother's  martyrdom.  James  H.  Collins,  a  prominent 
lawyer  of  Chicago,  who  had  some  time  before  been 


The  Anti- Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois.  141 

converted  to  religion  and  abolitionism,  at  that  time 
gave  in  his  adhesion  to  the  liberty  party,  then  formed, 
as  the  party  of  his  future  political  life.  L.  C.  P.  Freer 
and  Calvin  DeWolf,  Philo  Carpenter,  and  most  of  the 
men  since  prominent  in  that  reform,  identified  them- 
selves with  this  new  party.  Dr.  C.  V.  Dyer  was  prob- 
ably the  most  active  of  the  Chicago  reinforcements. 
He  procured  the  place  of  meeting,  which  was  in  Chap- 
man's hall,  a  building  occupying  the  ground  of  the 
new  bank  building  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Ran- 
dolph and  La  Salle  streets,  west  of  the  log  jail,  on  the 
public  square.  This  convention  was  the  beginning  of 
the  organization  of  abolitionism  in  Chicago,  that  be- 
came nationally  known  for  its  earnestness  and  thor- 
oughness, and  locally  recognized  for  its  association 
with  the  underground  railroad,  and  had  a  marked 
effect  on  the  politics  of  the  state,  and  ultimately  the 
fate  of  the  nation.  Its  projectors  builded  wiser  than 
they  knew.  After  this  convention  the  liberty  party 
always  pat  candidates  in  nomination  for  every  state 
election  ;  and  candidates  for  congress  were  brought 
out  as  fast  as  the  principles  of  the  party  gained  ground 
in  congressional  districts.  As  the  conflict  for  its  idea 
went  on,  the  contest  was  intensified  by  the  political 
issues  that  were  coming  up  in  the  nation,  growing  out, 
in  part,  of  the  moral  agitation  that  was  going  on  in 
the  land. 

Then  came  the  annexation  of  Texas,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  extending  the  area  of  slavery,  followed  by  the 
Mexican  war,  as  the  result  of  that  national  robbery; 
then  the  acquisition  of  a  vast  extent  of  territory,  and 
the  contest  that  came  of  it,  as  to  its  fate  in  regard  to 
the  extension  of  slavery  into  it;  the  Wilmot  proviso, 
the  Nebraska  and  the  Kansas  bills,  squatter  sov- 
ereignty and  the  contest  for  freedom  in  Kansas,  which 
brought  old  John  Brown  to  the  front;  these,  all  sup- 
plemented by  the  passage  of  the  fugitive  slave  law, 
and  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  compromise,  bringing 


142  The  Anti- Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois. 

down  these  events  of  this  exciting  agitation  till  1854, 
on  which  period  hangs  a  new  dispensation.  During 
this  time  the  liberty  party  was  looming  up  in  power 
and  in  importance.  It  was  the  only  party  that  was 
capable  of  grappling  with  the  events  that  were  preg- 
nant with  the  fate  of  the  nation. 

It  was  a  time  of  political  and  moral  commotion, 
unparalleled  in  the  history  of  the  nation.  It  was  the 
period  of  intense  agitation  of  the  slavery  question  in 
every  respect.  The  democratic  party  had  said  in  its 
platform  that  it  would  resist  this  agitation,  and  then 
went  on  and  furnished  fuel  for  the  agitation.  The 
whig  party  in  its  platform  said  it  would  discoun- 
tenance this  agitation,  and  then  gave  countenance  to 
the  agitation  that  was  aimed  against  the  principles  of 
this  little  liberty  party.  And  in  Illinois  this  little 
party  became  the  most  thoroughly  organized  and  con- 
centrated political  combination  ever  before  known  in 
this  state,  and  probably  not  since  equaled  in  intensity 
and  efficiency.  In  1852  it  numbered  10,000  votes,  and 
held  the  balance  of  power  in  a  majority  of  the  congres- 
sional districts.  The  voters  were  all  readers  of  their 
organ,  the  Western  Citizen,  which  through  all  the 
changes  and  modifications  of  free  soilism,  conscience- 
whiggery  and  independent  democracy,  and  American- 
ism, remained  true  to  its  one  idea:  the  liberty  party  to 
preserve  the  government,  as  the  successor  of  the 
party  of  1766,  that  had  formed  the  nation. 

This  national  agitation  brought  two  important  men 
of  Illinois  to  the  front  as  national  men,  namely,  Stephen 
A.  Douglas  and  Abraham  Lincoln.  They  were  leading 
men,  representing  opposite  principles  and  antagonistic 
elements  on  the  issue.  Into  the  area  of  the  consecrated 
freedom  of  the  northwestern  ordinance  came  the  con- 
flict of  the  ideas  which  should  rule  the  fate  of  the 
nation,  and  these  men  in  the  order  of  events  seemed  to 
be  the  representatives  of  the  struggle  of  these  ideas 
for  the  ascendency.  But  the  liberty  party  was  the 


The  Anti- Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois.  143 

only  organization  that  was  prepared  to  meet  the  emer- 
gency. 

Previous  to  1852,  the  state  of  Illinois  was  regarded 
as  one  of  the  most  solidly  democratic  states  in  the 
Union.  The  people  were  only  allowed  to  send  to  con- 
gress one  opposition  member,  called  whig,  at  each  con- 
gressional election.  And  this  opposition  influence 
came  from  the  conservative  Henry  Clay  school  of  poli- 
tics, that  had  overflowed  from  Kentucky  into  the  in- 
terior of  Illinois,  overlapping  the  area  of  Egypt,  which 
was  always  democratic.  This  conservative  whig  influ- 
ence sent  a  Lincoln,  a  Baker  and  a  Yates  to  congress 
at  different  elections,  as  the  single  opposition  repre- 
sentative. And  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  a  native  of  Ver- 
mont, seemed  to  have  made  himself  the  demi-god  of  the 
state,  as  fully  as  John  C.  Calhoun  was  of  South  Caro- 
lina. The  state  was,  of  course,  earnestly  in  support  of 
all  the  measures  of  the  democratic  party,  and  these 
measures  were  being  artfully  manipulated  to  bring 
Douglas  prominently  before  the  public  as  a  national 
man,  with  an  impetus  in  the  direction  of  the  presidency. 

Mr.  Lincoln,  as  an  attorney  a"nd  an  honest  man, 
and  of  genuine,  progressive  conservatism  in  politics, 
had  grown  into  great  esteem  with  the  people  of  all 
parties.  He  had  won  in  congress  some  reputation  to 
his  damage  as  a  politician,  by  his  opposition  to  the 
Mexican  war.  Douglas  was  the  leader  of  the  debate 
through  the  senate,  of  the  principles  on  the  platform  in 
the  state,  and  was  mainly  responsible  for  the  squatter 
sovereignty  theory  of  governing  the  territories,  as  well 
as  for  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  compromise,  and  was 
one  who  was  known  as  an  advocate  of  the  fugitive 
slave  law.  These  measures  put  the  whole  country  in 
a  state  of  ferment.  Mr.  Douglas  took  the  stump  in 
their  favor,  while  Mr.  Lincoln  was  known  to  be  op- 
posed to  them. 

In  1852  the  fugitive  slave  law  abomination  had 
been  passed;  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  compromise 


144  The  Anti-Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois. 

was  a  measure  pending.  The  liberty  party  maintained 
an  unbroken  front  in  its  organization.  The  democratic 
party  was  feeling  the  disrupting  influences  of  its  iniqui- 
ties from  free-soilism,  yet  apparently  growing  stronger 
in  its  sin  by  the  concentration  of  all  the  rowdy  forces 
of  the  nation  in  its  favor,  and  the  prospective  coming 
of  the  solid  south  on  the  slavery  question.  The  whig 
party  was  sensibly  weakening,  from  the  protest  of  the 
conscientious  whigs  and  the  higher  moral  plane  on 
which  the  party  stood.  There  were  signs  of  disruption 
and  the  formation  of  a  new  party  on  the  distinct  issues 
which  the  democrats  had  made  for  their  party  lines. 

Thinking  men  of  the  liberty  party  realized  that 
they  were  in  possession  of  a  balance  of  power,  as  be- 
tween these  two  weakening  forces,  -which  might  be 
used  effectually  for  the  advancement  of  their  principles 
and  objects.  The  state  was  despotically  democratic 
under  the  lead  of  Douglas,  who  had  even  then  an  eye 
on  the  presidency.  The  party  had  every  member  of 
congress,  excepting  Richard  Yates,  who  had  been 
elected  by  a  small  majority.  The  liberty  party  now 
knew  by  the  numbering  of  their  votes  that  they  had  it 
in  their  power  to  turn  the  scale  in  favor  of  the  weak- 
ening whig  party,  or  let  the  power  remain  with  the 
democrats.  In  the  election  of  1852,  they  stood  by  their 
colors  on  the  presidential  vote,  and  gave  to  John  P. 
Hale  nearly  10,000  votes.  But  enough  of  them,  under 
the  advice  of  their  leaders,  and  the  indirect  influence 
of  the  Western  Citizen,  so  diverted  their  votes  to  con- 
gressmen, who  they  knew  were  pledged  to  their  prin- 
ciples and  against  Douglas'  pet  doctrines,  that  they 
secured  the  election  of  several  whigs  to  congress,  and 
independent  democrats,  so  that  the  state  was  at  once 
taken  out  of  the  hands  of  the  democrats,  and  their 
arrogant  power  in  Illinois  was  broken.  It  was  at  this 
election  and  by  this  policy  that  Hon.  E.  B.  Washburne 
was  first  elected  to  congress.  Who  now  can  measure 
the  consequences  that  grew  out  of  that  choice? 


The  Anti- Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois.  145 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  made  the  candidate  of  the  whig 
party  in  the  winter  of  1854,  against  the  re-election  of 
Gen.  Shields  to  the  senate.  The  liberty  party  vote 
had  contributed  to  the  election  of  a  so  called  whig 
delegation  lin  congress.  A  large  number  of  free 
soilers  and  independent  democrats  had  contributed  to 
the  same  result.  In  the  state  legislature  the  free  soil- 
ers and  liberty  party  held  the  balance  of  power.  It 
was  thought  that  it  was  asking  a  little  too  much  that 
they  should  be  required  also  to  magnify  the  old  whig 
party,  by  giving  their  power  to  the  senate  also,  as 
they  would  have  done  had  Mr.  Lincoln  been  elected  by 
their  votes,  and  it  would  have  been  accounted  a  whig 
party  triumph  instead  of  a  triumph  of  the  people,  and 
the  liberty  party  would  have  been  held  responsible  for 
selling  out  to  the  whigs.  They  had  to  study  the  art 
of  using  their  power  and  keeping  it.  For  this  reason 
Mr.  Lincoln  did  not  receive  the  support  of  this  class  of 
representatives,  as  Mr.  Washburne  and  Mr.  Norton 
had  received  that  class  of  votes  ;  but  the  independent 
and  liberty  vote  was  given  to  Lyman  Trumbull,  and  he 
was  elected  senator,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  reserved  for  a 
higher  position.  It  was  a  most  fortunate  thing,  indi- 
cating wise  political  management,  that  Mr.  Lincoln 
was  not  elected  senator  at  that  election.  The  repub- 
lican party  was  informally  organized  in  1854,  consum- 
mated in  the  nomination  of  Fremont  in  1856.  The  lib- 
erty party,  holding  to  its  principles,  was  only  merged 
into  the  republican  after  this  date. 

The  repeal  of  the  Missouri  compromise  soon  fol- 
lowed this  election,  and  Mr.  Douglas  seemed  to  vainly 
hope  to  recover  his  lost  popularity  at  home,  by  the 
success  of  this  measure,  and  the  double-sided  view 
that  seemed,  to  some  extent,  to  be  taken  of  it  at  the 
north  and  south — at  the  south  as  a  measure  for  the-ex- 
tension  of  slavery  beyond  its  original  boundary  line  ; 
at  the  north  as  favoring  the  extension  of  liberty  be- 
yond the  line  of  its  former  restriction.  Mr.  Douglas' 


146  The  Anti-Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois. 

artful  insinuation  of  the  act  was  that  if  it  was  origi- 
nally wrong  to  pass  that  compromise,  it  was  now  a 
long  deferred  right  to  repeal  it.  But  the  moral  sense 
of  the  nation  interpreted  it  otherwise.  It  was  looked 
upon,  along  with  the  Dred  Scott  decision,  as  treading 
down  the  last  barrier  against  the  supremacy  of  the 
slavery  power.  This  repeal  put  the  antagonistic  forces 
more  directly  in  battle  array. 

The  senatorial  question  was  the  great  question  of 
Illinois  in  the  year  1858.  Mr.  Douglas  was  already  on 
the  stump  in  defense  of  his  measures,  which  he  had 
pressed  upon  the  nation  through  the  senate.  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, who  was  regarded  as  his  natural  competitor  and 
opponent,  had  been  prompt  to  volunteer  to  reply  to 
Douglas'  introductory  speeches.  The  unusual  practice 
was  resorted  to  by  the  new  party  of  republicans,  of 
holding  a  state  convention  for  the  nomination  of  a  can- 
didate for  senator,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  was  cordially  put 
in  nomination.  The  question  was  not  to  be  determined 
by  their  votes,  but  by  the  votes  of  the  representatives 
in  the  state  legislature.  Therefore,  in  the  canvass 
representatives  were  selected  in  view  of  settling  the 
senatorial  succession,  whether  it  should  be  Douglas,  a 
democrat,  or  Lincoln,  a  republican.  It  was  well  under- 
stood that  in  Mr.  Douglas'  case  it  would  settle  more 
than  the  senatorial  question;  with  him  it  was  also  a 
nomination  for  the  presidency.  With  Mr.  Lincoln  it 
was  only  a  contest  with  this  champion  democrat  for  the 
senatorship,  but  more  in  the  contest  than  on  anything 
else,  for  the  prospect  of  defeating  Mr.  Douglas  on  his 
own  ground  did  not  seem  very  brilliant.  The  debate 
which  followed  between  Lincoln  and  Douglas  was  one 
of  the  most  important  political  debates  that  ever  oc- 
curred in  this  country.  Mr.  Douglas  had  already  become 
a  national  man  through  the  strength  of  his  character 
and  genius.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  not  well  known  beyond 
his  own  state,  but  at  home  well  known  as  a  keen  debater, 
and  a  match  in  logic  and  argument  for  his  opponent. 


The  Anti- Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois.  147 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  nominated  as  a  candidate  for  the 
senate  at  the  convention  at  Springfield  June  17,  1858. 
At  the  close  of  the  convention  he  struck  the  keynote 
of  the  debate  on  the  issues  of  the  day,  in  the  opening 
paragraph  of  his  speech.  It  has  since  been  numbered 
with  others  of  the  remarkable  historical  and  prophetic 
utterances  of  that  wonderful  man.  It  is  the  famous 
declaration  that  this  Union  could  not  permanently  en- 
dure half  slave  and  half  free. 

In  this  canvass  Mr.  Lincoln  held  seven  joint  de- 
bates with  Mr.  Douglas,  and  made  innumerable  speeches 
on  other  occasions.  Mr.  Douglas'  character  and  posi- 
tion was  well  known  throughout  the  nation,  and  he  was 
regarded  as  the  foremost  champion  of  the  measures 
which  characterized  the  slave  policy,  and  one  of  the 
ablest  debaters  of  the  country.  The  originality  and 
freshness  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  speeches,  his  terse  and 
homely  style,  the  pertinence  of  his  illustrations,  and 
his  inimitable  humor,  attracted  to  him  public  attention ; 
and  the  debate  had  hardly  closed  before  he  became 
equally  known  throughout  the  nation,  and  the  eyes  of 
the  public  were  upon  these  two  men  as  the  most  promi- 
nent political  personages  of  the  country.  Mr.  Douglas 
used  to  say,  rather  sneeringly,  during  the  debate,  that 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  after  his  place — meaning  the  senator- 
ship.  Mr.  Lincoln  never  shrank  from  the  imputation 
that  he  was  the  republican  candidate  for  that  office. 
The  result  was  that  Mr.  Douglas  carried  a  majority  of 
the  representatives;  there  were  in  the  senate  fourteen 
democrats  and  eleven  republicans,  and  in  the  house 
forty  democrats  and  thirty-five  republicans — making  a 
majority  on  joint  ballot  of  eight  for  Mr.  Douglas — the 
close  vote  of  Madison  county  even  turning  the  scale; 
but  Mr.  Lincoln  had  a  plurality  of  more  than  4, 000  in 
the  popular  vote.  Mr.  Douglas  kept  his  place,  and 
got  his  coveted  nomination  to  the  presidency,  but  the 
nomination  of  a  divided  party. 

Mr.  Lincoln  seemed  to  have  been  inspired  for  the 


148  The  Anti- Slavery  Agitation  in  Illinois. 

mission  to  which  he  was  called.  He  doubtless  received 
his  early  impressions  for  political  reform  from  the 
motto  that  was  ever  before  him  in  the  anti-slavery 
newspapers  which  he  read,  and  the  constant  reiterated 
teachings  of  the  little  liberty  party  that  was  leading  his 
destiny:  "We  hold  these  truths  to  be  self-evident,  that 
all  men  are  created  equal,  and  are  endowed  by  their 
Creator  with  certain  inalienable  rights,"  etc.  This 
was  the  chord  of  harmony  in  his  soul,  'to  which  every 
sentiment  and  every  action  of  his  being  vibrated. 
Therefore  in  his  debate  with  Douglas  we  find  him  con- 
stantly harping  upon  that  chord. 

In  the  platform  of  the  convention  at  Chicago,  which 
put  Mr.  Lincoln  in  nomination  for  the  presidency  May 
16,  1860,  is  this  declaration:  "That  the  maintenance 
of  the  principle  promulgated  in  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence, and  embodied  in  the  federal  constitution 
[now  repeating  the  celebrated  motto  of  liberty]  is  es- 
sential to  the  preservation  of  our  republican  institu- 
tions; and  that  the  federal  constitution,  the  rights  of 
the  states  and  the  union  of  the  states  must  and  shall 
be  preserved."  For  that  end  was  Mr.  Lincoln  called 
to  the  head  of  the  nation. 

After  his  election,  going  from  his  humble  home  at 
Springfield,  to  which  he  never  returned  alive,  on  his 
way  to  enter  into  the  presidency,  he  was  beset  on  his 
way  by  plots  for  his  assassination,  but  was  turned  aside 
by  invitation  to  Philadelphia  to  a  flag  raising  over  In- 
dependence hall,  where  the  Declaration  was  signed 
eighty-four  years  before;  and  on  that  occasion  he  gave 
utterance  to  these  remarkable  words: 

I  have  often  inquired  of  myself  what  great  principle  or  idea  it 
was  that  kept  the  confederacy  so  long  together.  It  was  something  in 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  giving  liberty  not  only  to  the  people 
of  this  country,  but  hope  to  the  world  for  all  future  time.  It  was  that 
which  gave  promise  that  in  due  time  the  weights  should  be  lifted 
from  the  shoulders  of  all  men,  and  that  all  should  have  an  equal 
chance.  *  *  Now,  my  friends,  can  this  country  be  saved  upon 
this  basis?  If  it  can  I  will  consider  myself  one  of  the  happiest  men 
in  the  world  if  I  can  help  to  save  it.  But  if  this  country  cannot  be 
saved  without  giving  up  that  principle,  I  was  about  to  say  I  would 
rather  be  assassinated  upon  this  spot  than  surrender  it. 


THE  CHICAGO  RIVER  AND  ITS  BRIDGES. 

The  entire  southern  extremity  of  Lake  Michigan  is 
one  continuous  waste  of  drifting-  sands.  At  no  place 
are  to  be  found  rugged  shores  where  deep  rivers  empty 
the  surplus  floods  of  extensive  water  sheds,  but,  on  the 
contrary,  the  water  shed  of  the  western  shore  of  the 
southern  portion  of  the  lake  is  a  narrow  belt  along  its 
immediate  margin.  Except  the  Calumet,  the  Chicago 
river  is  its  principal  channel,  and,  small  and  insignifi- 
cant as  this  stream  is,  it  has  a  history,  a  mission  and  a 
destiny  never  equaled  by  any  other  small  stream,  ex- 
cept, perhaps,  the  river  Thames,  on  whose  bank  the 
largest  city  in  the  world  has  been  built.  Fortunately 
the  economic  forces  of  nature  gave  a  depth  to  the  Chi- 
cago river  sufficient  to  float  large  vessels,  thus  making 
it  available  for  the  commercial  wants  of  a  great  city; 
and  the  peculiar  features  of  this  stream,  with  its  two 
branches  uniting  into  one  from  opposite  directions,  have 
imparted  to  it  the  substantial  uses  of  an  artificial  canal, 
traversing  the  business  portions  of  a  large  city,  for  the 
purpose  of  facilitating  the  trans-shipment  of  the  cereals 
of  the  northwest,  as  well  as  the  other  heavy  materials 
of  our  commerce.  So  marked  is  the  convenience  of  this 
natural  channel  for  this  purpose,  that  perhaps  it  is  not 
too  much  to  say  that  had  an  artificial  canal  been  built 
for  the  purposes  for  which  the  river  is  used,  it  could 
hardly  have  been  planned  to  suit  the  convenience  of 
trade  better  than  nature  has  fashioned  it  for  us;  and 
here  it  should  not  be  forgotten  that,  owing  to  the  dimin- 
utive water  shed  of  the  river,  a  uniform  height  of  sur- 

(U9) 


150  The  Chicago  River  and  Its  Bridges. 

face  is  secured,  with  scarce  two  feet  variation  between 
high  and  low  water,  which  condition  greatly  facilitates 
the  transfer  of  grain,  and  perfects  facilities  for  the  ele- 
vator system  for  which  Chicago  is  famous. 

As  the  city  began  to  grow  along  the  banks  of  this 
stream,  something  besides  the  birchbark  canoe  or  the 
dugout  was  required  for  crossing  it,  especially  as 
vehicles  drawn  by  horses  were  coming  into  use;  and, 
in  1832,  Mark  Beaubien,  who  was  not  fond  of  hard 
work,  but  was  willing  to  sit  at  the  receipt  of  custom 
in  a  ferry  boat,  and  wait  the  long  hours  of  the  day  to 
secure  the  fees  of  the  occasional  traveler  across  the 
river,  established  a  ferry  at  the  fork.  The  main  land- 
ing was  on  the  South  Side,  from  which  passengers 
could  be  ferried  over  to  either  the  North  or  West  Side. 

It  was  stipulated  that  residents  of  Cook  county 
should  be  passed  free,  and  consequently  Mr.  Beaubien's 
fees  came  from  strangers  who  were  passing  through 
the  place  or  had  taken  up  a  temporary  residence  there- 
His  ferry  boat  consisted  of  a  scow  which  he  purchased 
of  Mr.  Samuel  Miller  for  $65,  and  he  gave  bonds  in  the 
sum  of  $200  for  the  faithful  performance  of  his  duties, 
James  Kinzie  signing  as  his  voucher.  But  any  hopes 
of  a  permanent  income  from  this  ferry  were  soon 
frustrated;  for  the  same  year  it  was  established  (1832) 
a  bridge  was  built  across  the  north  branch  on 
Water  street,  and  one  across  the  south  branch  between 
Randolph  and  Lake  streets,  at  which  place  it  stood  till 
1840.  The  latter  cost  $486.20,  the  whole  of  which  was 
raised  by  subscription,  the  Pottawattomies  contribut- 
ing $200  toward  it,  which  proved  them  to  be  pioneers 
in  Chicago  thrift  and  improvement.  The  first  bridge 
across  the  main  river  was  built  at  Dearborn  street,  the 
precise  date  of  which  cannot  be  ascertained,  but  it  was 
probably  in  1833.  It  was  a  bone  of  contention  between 
the  north  and  south  divisions,  on  what  ground  has  not 
come  within  the  knowledge  of  the  writer;  but  it  is 
certain  that  as  a  compromise  the  council  board  of  the 


The  Chicago  River  and  Its  Bridges.  151 

town  caused  it  to  be  removed  in  1835,  and  established  it 
on  Clark  street,  which  official  act,  probably  growing 
out  of  some  ambitious  private  interests  of  property 
holders  in  the  early  days,  has  made  Clark,  instead  of 
Dearborn  street,  a  great  thoroughfare  filled  with  stores 
for  miles  in  extent.  In  1847  Wells  street  bridge  was 
built  by  private  subscription,  Walter  L.  Newberry 
being  the  principal  contributor.  The  Randolph  and 
Madison  street  bridges  were  built  the  same  year, 
whether  by  private  subscription  or  with  the  city  funds 
is  not  known,  as  .those  early  records  of  the  city  were 
destroyed  in  the  great  fire.  The  three  last  were  float- 
ing bridges,  swinging  from  a  pivot  on  one  shore  by 
means  of  a  leverage  attached  to  a  capstan,  around 
which  coiled  the  rope  that  drew  the  bridge  open  for 
vessels  to  pass,  and  closed  after  them.  These  clumsy 
contrivances,  however,  were  only  to  remain  a  few 
years.  First  the  Clark  street  and  next  the  Randolph 
street  floats  gave  way  to  the  late  pivoted  style  of 
bridges,  whirling  from  a  pier  in  the  center  of  the  river, 
and  in  1857  the  Madison  street  float  also  was  substi- 
tuted for  an  iron  bridge  on  the  late  plan,  the  first  of  its 
kind  built  of  this  material  introduced  into  Chicago. 

The  next  improvement  was  to  locate  the  bridges 
so  that  tugs,  barges  and  canal  boats  could  pass  under 
them,  which  requisition  was  forthwith  ^adopted  except 
in  some  cases  of  bridges  for  horse  car  and  railroad 
tracks.  There  are  now  (1900)  sixty  bridges  for  pedes- 
trians' use,  sixteen  for  steam  railroad  tracks  and  three 
for  elevated  road  service. 


THE  CHICAGO  RELIEF  AND  AID  SOCIETY. 

BY  E.  B.  MCCAGG. 

The  Chicago  Relief  and  Aid  Society  was  incorpor- 
ated February  16,  1857,  its  objects,  as  declared  in  its 
charter,  being-  to  provide  a  permanent,  efficient  and 
practical  mode  of  administering  and  distributing  the 
private  charities  of  the  city  of  Chicago;  to  examine 
and  establish  the  necessary  means  for  obtaining  full 
and  reliable  information  of  the  condition  and  needs  of 
the  poor  of  the  city ;  and  to  put  into  practical  and  effi- 
cient operation  the  best  system  of  relieving  and  pre- 
venting want  and  pauperism  therein.  It  is  required 
by  its  charter  to  make  a  report  once  a  year  to  the  city 
council  of  its  doings,  with  a  statement  of  its  receipts 
and  expenses,  verified  under  oath,  and  also  to  report 
such  information  as  it  may  have  acquired  concerning 
the  condition  and  wants  of  the  poor  of  the  city.  It  is 
managed  by  a  board  of  directors,  selected  from  promi- 
nent business  and  professional  men  of  the  city,  who 
give  it  personal  attention,  and  attempt,  in  a  philo- 
sophical manner,  to  so  administer  charity  as  not  to  in- 
jure, or  to  do  the  least  injury  possible  to,  the  recipient 
and  to  society.  Understanding  well  that  pauperism  is 
dangerous  to  touch,  and  cannot  be  left  alone,  they  are 
endeavoring  to  deal  with  it  in  a  prudent,  rational  and 
discerning  manner,  and  to  discourage  all  indiscriminate 
giving  without  investigation. 

It  has  been  their  effort,  not  to  take  the  place  of 
that  kindly  sympathy  which  leads  us  to  help  our  suffer- 
ing neighbor  whose  wants  are  assuredly  known,  nor 


The  Chicago  .Relief  and  Aid  Society.  153 

the  considerate  and  delicate  solicitude  of  religious  or 
other  benevolent  fraternities  for  those  immediately 
within  their  own  jurisdiction  and  charge,  but  outside 
of  these  to  aid  the  general  public  in  this  branch  of  its 
duties  with  system,  and  by  an  organization  so  com- 
plete that  if  the  whole  community  would  work  through 
it,  that  portion  of  the  charitable  work  of  the  city 
within  its  province  would  be  done  with  method,  and 
none  duplicated.  The  society  is  supported  wholly 
by  voluntary  contributions,  and  administers  its  charity 
in  the  way  which  in  each  case  seems  most  advisable. 

It  owns  the  building  in  which  its  offices  and  rooms 
are  established,  and  has  been  in  successful  operation 
for  over  twenty  years. 

The  whole  theory  of  its  management  is  that  char- 
ity is  not  a  matter  of  feeling,  but  judgment ;  as  was 
tersely  stated  by  a  writer  in  one  of  our  magazines  not 
long  since,  that,  '  'each  case  must  be  examined,  put  on 
trial  and  disposed  of  on  its  merits"  ;  that  general  in- 
formation must  be  had,  from  time  to  time,  of  the  num- 
ber of  unemployed  persons  in  the  city,  and  of  the  de- 
mand for  labor,  and  particular  information  of  the  char- 
acter and  antecedents  of  each  applicant,  and  of  the 
reasons  why  aid  is  needed  ;  that  a  discrimination  must 
be  made  between  those  who  are  helpless  from  misfor- 
tune and  those  whose  misery  arises  from  their  own  de- 
fault, and  that  to  aid  the  willingly  idle  man  or  woman, 
or  any  one  who  can  help  himself,  is  in  the  highest  de- 
gree hurtful  to  the  person  aided  and  to  society  at 
large.  Its  more  immediate  duty  has  been  to  extend 
aid  to  that  class  of  worthy  and  industrious  poor  who, 
by  reason  of  sickness,  accident,  loss  of  employment  or 
of  property  have  fallen  temporarily  behind,  and  to  res- 
cue them  from  the  danger  of  permanent  pauperism  by 
timely  assistance;  to  extend  a  helping  hand  to  widows 
with  dependent  children,  to  aged  and  infirm  people 
partly  able  to  help  themselves,  and  to  single  women 
when  work  suddenly  ceases,  and  above  all,  to  so  do  its 


154  The  Chicago  Relief  and  Aid  Society. 

work  that  the  public  may  at  all  times  have  at  its  doors 
an  efficient  agent  to  distribute  its  charities,  and,  as  far 
as  may  be,  to  prevent  the  injurious  and  wasteful  re- 
sults of  indiscriminate  giving. 

It  employs  paid  and  experienced  visitors,  under 
the  immediate  direction  of  a  qualified  and  able  super- 
intendent ;  it  makes  careful  inquiry  into  and  keeps  a 
record  of  each  case,  discriminating  in  favor  of  those  in 
whom  habits  of  temperance  and  industry  give  promise 
of  benefit  from  the  aid  furnished,  not  embracing  in 
the  sphere  of  its  operations  such  as  are  the  proper 
subjects  for  the  poorhouse  or  the  action  of  the  county 
officers  ;  and  so  accurate  is  this  record,  and  so  method- 
ical the  manner  in  which  it  is  kept,  that  actual  expe- 
rience proves  that,  for  some  years  past,  out  of  every 
hundred  applications  the  superintendent  has  been  able 
to  give  the  antecedents  of  at  least  seventy-five  of  the 
applicants.  It  is  a  record  of  the  meritorious  poor  of 
the  city,  and  of  a  very  large  number  of  those  whose  ap- 
plications should  be  denied.  It  has  now  on  this  record 
the  names  of  over  50,000  persons,  and  the  special  facts 
affecting  each  case. 

Its  value  as  an  organization  was  tested  by  the  wide- 
spread destitution  and  want  caused  by  the  great  fire  of 
1871.  Possessing  the  confidence  of  the  public,  the  city 
authorities  turned  over  to  it,  for  management  and  dis- 
tribution, the  contributions  of  money  and  property  so 
freely  sent  at  that  time  to  aid  the  suffering  people  of 
this  city,  and  it  speedily  brought  order,  method  and  di- 
rect and  perfect  supervision  to  the  enormous  burden 
thus  thrown  upon  it.  Economy  was  sought  in  every 
way.  After  the  first  few  days,  in  which  relief  was 
necessarily  indiscriminate,  systematic  and  reasonably 
assured  efforts  were  made  to  defeat  imposition;  to 
search  out  and  aid  needy  sufferers;  to  withhold  encour- 
agement to  idleness  and  to  guard  against  extravagant 
or  injudicious  distribution.  Besides  the  distribution  of 
the  articles  of  property  that  came  under  its  control,  it 


The  Chicago  Relief  and  Aid  Society.  155 

has  disbursed  of  this  fund  over  $5,000,000  in  money, 
and  the  magnitude  of  its  operations  is  evidenced  by  a 
summary  of  its  work,  or  part  of  i't,  for  the  first  eighteen 
months  after  the  fire.  In  this  period  it  aided  39,242 
families,  numbering  156,968  persons,  and  it  distributed 
during  the  same  period  50,000  tons  of  coal,  16,449  bed- 
steads, 28,961  mattresses,  77,645  blankets,  10,855  com- 
fortables, 15,429  stoves,  77,000  pairs  of  shoes,  137,994 
pieces  of  men's  clothing,  165,000  pieces  of  women's 
clothing,  and  107,000  pieces  of  children's  clothing,  and 
fuel,  food  and  furniture  in  proportion.  Carpenters, 
masons,  tinners,  book  binders,  locksmiths,  tailors, 
shoemakers  and  workmen  in  almost  every  branch  of 
mechanical  industry  were  supplied  with  tools;  ma- 
chinery of  various  kinds  was  furnished;  surgeons,  den- 
tists and  engineers  were  provided  with  instruments  of 
their  respective  callings;  sewing  women  were  aided  in 
obtaining  sewing  machines,  2,353  of  these  being  paid 
for  in  full,  and  2,065  in  part,  by  the  society;  9,000 
houses  were  built  and  furnished,  and  over  $600,000  was 
distributed  among  the  various  charitable  institutions, 
that  had  been  either  burned  or  seriously  crippled — the 
resources  of  their  patrons  having  been  cut  off;  and 
money  was  granted  in  various  amounts  to  aid  appli- 
cants in  the  re-establishment  of  such  business  or  me- 
chanical employment  as  seemed  to  afford  a  sufficiently 
assured  prospect  of  yielding  a  support  to  them  and  their 
families.  Some  waste  was,  in  the  beginning,  inevitable. 
The  task  was  immense — not  only  the  aged,  the  sick, 
the  infirm,  children  and  women,  but  men,  weary,  hun- 
gry, houseless,  cold  and  in  despair,  were  suddenly 
thrown  upon  the  hands  of  the  society.  The  city  was 
speedily  districted,  registration  was  resorted  to  at  the 
outset,  a  complete  staff  was  organized,  visitors  were 
employed,  inspectors  were  appointed,  relief  stations 
were  established,  a  full  report  was  required  daily  from 
each  district,  and  the  several  superintendents  met  the 
executive  committee  daily  to  make  or  hear  suggestions, 


156  The  Chicago  Relief  and  Aid  Society. 

to  answer  criticisms,  to  report  progress  and  suggest 
improvements,  if  possible,  in  the  working  machinery. 
A  general  inspector  made  frequent  examinations,  and 
a  committee  of  complaints  was  always  ready  to  hear 
complaints  and,  if  well  founded,  to  apply  the  remedy. 
The  endeavor  was  to  reduce  to  the  smallest  possible 
percentage  injudicious  or  unnecessary  relief,  and  to  ex- 
tend aid  to  all  who  were  justly  entitled  to  it. 

For  the  fiscal  year  of  1878  it  expended  $45,620,  and 
aided  a  small  fraction  over  1,600  families^  containing  in 
the  aggregate  over  13,700  men,  women  and  children. 
Of  these  families  1,045,  or  about  two-thirds,  received 
aid  only  once,  310  twice,  150  three  times,  so  that  but  a 
few  over  100  were  aided  more  than  three  times;  and 
for  the  fiscal  year  of  1879  it  expended  $35,193.48,  and 
aided  a  somewhat  larger  number  of  families,  containing 
18,584  persons.  Of  these  families  1,003  received  aid 
but  once,  365  twice,  and  160  three  times. 

This,  however,  shows  but  a  small  part  of  its  work. 
It  cares  for  the  sick,  buries  the  dead,  aids  needy  per- 
sons seeking  employment  to  obtain  it,  and  carefully  and 
fully  investigates,  in  the  course  of  each  year,  hundreds 
of  applications  for  aid  which  it  refuses,  because  exami- 
nation proves  them  unworthy. 

It  grew  out  of  the  belief  on  the  part  of  a  number  of 
gentlemen  of  the  city  who  had  given  time,  thought  and 
active  aid  to  outdoor  relief,  through  voluntary  and 
only  quasi  definite  organizations,  that  the  means 
adopted  were  inefficient  and  for  many  reasons  unsat- 
isfactory; and  an  experience  of  twenty  and  more  years 
has  fully  justified  the  conclusion  they  reached  that  this 
kind  of  charity  should  be  administered  as  a  merchant 
does  his  business,  with  system,  under  proper  checks 
and  balances,  and  by  keeping  a  record  of  each  applica- 
tion for  aid  and  of  the  facts  developed  by  the  examina- 
tion made  into  the  condition,  character  and  circum- 
stances of  the  applicants. 

The  article  by  Mr.  McCagg  gives  a  very  correct  and 


The  Chicago  Relief  and  Aid  Society.  157 

comprehensive  statement  of  the  purpose  and  work  of  the 
Chicago  Relief  and  Aid  Society. 

It  still  continues  to  work  in  the  same  manner  and 
upon  the  same  lines,  adopting  all  necessary  measures  to 
keep  up  with  the  increasing  population  and  the  best  les- 
sons of  experience,  as  developed  in  forty  years  of  prac- 
tical relief  work. 

It  expends  about  $35,000  per  annum.  It  operates 
a  wood  yard,  where  temporary  employment  is  given  to 
an  average  of  3,800  single  men  per  annum,  who  are 
thereby  enabled  to  earn  meals  and  lodgings  while  they 
look  for  a  better  job. 

It  also  furnishes  a  limited  amount  of  work,  usually 
one  week  at  a  time,  for  men  with  families,  paying  in 
cash  every  night.  These  men  usually  earn  from  sev- 
enty-five cents  to  $1.50  per  day. 

It  owns  214  beds  in  the  various  hospitals,  also  rights 
in  perpetuity  for  a  number  of  women  and  children  in 
the  Home  for  the  Friendless.  It  also  owns  twenty-two 
rooms  in  the  Old  People's  Home.  It  furnishes  free 
information  concerning  applicants  to  all  who  wish  to 
consult  its  records.  It  carefully  investigates  every 
case  and  seeks  to  do  the  best  in  its  power  for  all  appli- 
cants without  regard  to  nationality  or  religion.  It  is 
the  only  society  in  Chicago  for  the  administration  of 
general  relief.  It  is  in  hearty  sympathy  with  all  soci- 
eties, and  cheerfully  co-operates  with  them  and  often 
supplements  their  efforts  to  improve  the  poor. 

It  employs  no  solicitors,  depending  upon  the  annual 
contributions  of  those  who  appreciate  its  work. 

It  earnestly  requests  all  citizens  to  refrain  from  giv- 
ing anything  to  beggars  and  strangers,  and  to  refer  all 
applicants  to  this  society,  where  they  will  be  properly 
treated  and  the  result  reported  to  the  reference. 

It  has  an  endowment  sufficient  to  cover  all  running 
expenses,  so  that  every  dollar  contributed  goes  directly 
to  the  relief  of  worthy  poor. 

C.  G.  TRUSDELL,  General  Superintendent. 


THE  CHICAGO  FIRE  DEPARTMENT. 

The  first  authentic  record  of  any  organization  in 
Chicago  for  protection  from  fire  is  a  notice,  the  original 
of  which  is  still  in  existence,  from  the  secretary,  J.  J. 
Gillupy,  of  the  Washington  Volunteer  Fire  Co.,  to 
one  of  its  members  for  a  called  meeting,  and  dated 
January  8,  1833. 

In  August  of  that  year  Chicago  was  incorporated 
as  a  town,  and  in  November  Benj.  Jones  was  appointed 
fire  warden.  In  September,  1834,  an  ordinance  was 
adopted  by  the  town  board  of  trustees,  by  which  the 
town  was  divided  into  four  wards,  and  fire  wardens  for 
each  appointed  as  follows:  First  ward,  Wm.  Worthing- 
ton;  second  ward,  Ed.  E.  Hunter;  third  ward,  Samuel 
Resique;  fourth  ward,  James  Kinzie.  These  wardens 
were  charged  with  the  duty  of  enforcing  the  fire  ordi- 
nance previously  passed,  and  of  directing  in  their 
respective  wards  the  operations  of  the  men  who  re- 
sponded to  the  alarm  of  fire.  On  October  7,  1835,  an 
appropriation  for  the  purchase  of  some  primitive  fire 
apparatus  was  made,  at  which  time  Hiram  Hugunin, 
the  president  of  the  town  board  of  trustees,  was  elected 
chief  of  the  embryonic  fire  department.  On  the  same 
date  (October  7,  1835)  the  Pioneer  Hook  and  Ladder 
Co.  was  organized  by  the  principal  citizens. 

On  November  4  following,  the  town  board  adopted 
a  lengthy  ordinance  creating  a  fire  department,  with 
chief  engineer,  two  assistants,  four  fire  wardens  (in 
addition  to  town  trustees,  who  were  ex-officio  fire 
wardens)  and  "such  fire  engine  men,  hose  men,  hook 

(158) 


The  Chicago  Fire  Department. 


159 


and  ladder  men,  and  ax  and  saw  men  as  may  from 
time  to  time  be  appointed  by  the  board  of  trustees. ' ' 
Stringent  rules  governing  the  companies  which  were 
organized,  or  might  organize,  were  adopted,  and  the 
refusal  of  any  citizen  to  obey  the  orders  of  the  chief  or 
his  assistants  or  any  of  the  fire  wardens  in  case  of  fire, 
was  punishable  with  a  fine  of  $5. 

On  December  12,  1835,  the  first  engine  company, 
called  "The  Fire  King,"  was  organized.  The  first 
officers  were  S.  G.  Trowbridge,  foreman;  Alvin  Cal- 
houn,  assistant  foreman;  A.  D.  Hamilton,  secretary; 


CHICAGO'S  FIRST  FIRE  ENGINE. 

H.  G.  Loomis,  treasurer,  and  Ira  Kimberly,  steward. 
About  this  time  Chicago's  first  fire  engine  was  pur- 
chased, $894.38  having  previously  been  appropriated  for 
the  purpose,  payable  in  two  annual  installments.  Soon 
after  an  engine  house  was  built,  located  in  the  public 
square  on  La  Salle  street.  In  February,  1836,  Hiram 
Hugunin,  who  had  acted  as  chief  engineer  for  about 
six  months,  resigned,  and  Geo.  W.  Snow  was  appointed 
to  the  position,  which  he  held  for  one  year,  and  was 
succeeded  by  John  M.  Turner,  foreman  of  Hook  and 
Ladder  Co.  No.  1.  On  December  11,  1837,  the  second 
engine  company  was  organized  as  the  Tradesmans', 
but  soon  afterward  changed  to  Metamora,  No.  2.  For 
convenience,  we  append,  in  tabular  form,  the  record  of 


160  The  Chicago  Fire  Department. 

the  organization  of  the  various  companies  composing 
the  fire  department  until  the  present  paid  system  dis- 
placed the  old  volunteer  organization: 

ENGINE  COMPANIES. 

NAME.  WHEN  ORGANIZED.  FIRST  FOREMAN, 

Fire  King- December  12,  1835 S.  G.  Trowbridge. 

Metamora December  11, 1837 

Niagara November,  1844 Geo.  F.  Foster. 

Red  Jacket November,  1846 F.  T.  Sherman. 

Excelsior "     A.S.Sherman. 

Garden  City August,  1849 Chas.  Morton. 

Lawrence September,  1850 Matthew  Conley. 

Waubansia December,  1851 Frank  Hathaway. 

New  England February,  1854 W.  B.  Bateham. 

Washington January,    1855 John  Shanks. 

Wide  Awake January,  1856 Geo.  Ross. 

Neptune February,  1856 H.  Beebe. 

Red  Rover January,  1857 T.  E.  Courtney. 

Torrent March,  1857 John  M.  Lambin. 

Northern  Liberty December,  1858 Conrad  Folz. 

HOSE  COMPANIES. 

Philadelphia January,  1845 J.  B.  Johnson. 

Hope October,  1850 S.O.Eames. 

Lone  Star December,  1851 L.  Meyer. 

La  Fayette September,  1855 M.  W.  Powell. 

Liberty December,  1856 Jno.  B.  Dickey. 

Lady  Washington. .   . .  January,  1856 John  R.  Clark. 

HOOK  AND  LADDER  COMPANIES. 

Pioneer October  7, 1835 — 

Rescue November,  1855 L.  Warwick. 

Empire March,  1857 A.  Reary. 

The  following  is  a  correct  list  of  the  various  chiefs 
of  the  volunteer  fire  department,  together  with  their 
terms  of  service:  Hiram  Hugunin,  1835,  six  months; 
George  W.  Snow,  1836,  one  year;  Jno.  M.  Turner,  1837, 
one  year;  Alexander  Lloyd,  1838,  one  year;  Calvin  Cal- 
houn,  1839,  one  year;  Luther  Nichols,  1840,  one  year; 
A.  S.  Sherman,  1841-2,  two  years;  Stephen  F.  Gale, 
1843-6,  three  years;  C.  E.  Peck,  1847-8,  two  years; 
Ashley  Gilbert,  1849,  one  year;  C.  P.  Bradley,  1850-1, 
two  years;  U.  P.  Harris,  1852-3,  two  years;  Jas.  M. 
Donnelly,  1854,  one  year;  Silas  McBride,  1855-7,  three 
years;  Dennis  J.  Swenie,  1858,  one  year. 

Very  soon  after  the  great  Water  and  Lake  street 
fires  in  October,  1857,  the  question  of  having  steam 
fire  engines  and  a  paid  department  began  to  be  agitated, 
and  in  February,  1858,  the  first  steamer  was  purchased, 


The  Chicago  Fire  Department.  161 

and  named  "The  Long  John."  In  December  of  the 
same  year  a  full  company  was  commissioned  by  the 
city  authorities  to  be  regularly  paid  for  their  services. 
Gradually  additions  were  made  under  the  paid  system, 
several  of  the  companies  reorganizing  under  the  new 
order  of  things,  but  not  until  the  latter  part  of  1859 
were  the  last  of  the  volunteer  organizations  disbanded, 
and  the  change  made  complete. 

Various  improvements  were  introduced  into  the 
department,  new  companies  organized  and  equipped, 
the  fire  alarm  telegraph  introduced  (in  1865),  and  the 
department  rendered  very  efficient  under  the  succes- 
sive management  of  Chief  Engineers  D.  J.  Swenie,  U. 
P.  Harris  and  Robert  A.  Williams,  down  to  1870-1,  at 
which  time  the  department  consisted  of  seventeen  en- 
gine companies  of  nine  men  each,  three  hook  and  lad- 
der companies,  six  hose  companies  and  one  hose  eleva- 
tor, the  available  working  force  being  upwards  of  200 
men.  Of  the  great  fire  of  1871,  we  need  not  speak 
here,  as  it  is  treated  elsewhere  in  these  pages.  Among 
the  results  of  the  fire,  however,  as  affecting  the  fire 
department,  were  a  more  careful  organization  and 
stricter  discipline  of  the  force,  an  increased  water  sup- 
ply and  the  extension  of  the  fire  limits  in  1872,  within 
which  the  erection  of  frame  buildings  was  forbidden. 
This  ordinance  was  amended  in  1874,  making  the  fire 
limits,  with  the  above  restrictions  as  to  character  of 
buildings,  co-extensive  with  the  limits  of  the  city. 

The  chiefs  of  the  paid  department  have  been:  D. 
J.  Swenie,  1859;  U.  P.  Harris,  1859-68;  R.  A.  Williams, 
1868-73;  M.  Benner,  1873-79,  succeeded  by  the  present 
incumbent,  D.  J.  Swenie,  1879-99. 

In  1875  the  board  of  fire  commissioners  was  abol- 
ished and  the  fire  department  placed  under  the  direct 
control  of  a  fire  marshal,  responsible  to  the  mayor 
and  common  council  of  the  city. 

During  the  succeeding  ten  years  from  1879  to  1889 
the  uniformed  force  of  the  department  had  increased 


162  Tlie  Chicago  Fire  Department. 

to  638  men,  forming  forty-four  engine  companies,  four- 
teen truck  companies  and  one  chemical  company. 
The  annexation  of  1889  added  twelve  engine  companies, 
seventeen  hook  and  ladder  companies,  five  hose  com- 
panies and  one  chemical  company. 

On  September  1,  1885,  the  iron  tug  "Alpha"  was 
chartered  and  fitted  up  as  a  fire  boat,  and  assigned  to 
duty  in  the  lumber  district.  The  following  year  this 
tug  was  replaced  by  the  purchase  of  another,  which 
was  christened  the  "Chicago,"  better  adapted  to  the 
work  contemplated,  and  a  new  boat,  the  "Geyser,"  was 
built  by  the  department,  specially  adapted  for  fire  duty, 
which  was  located  at  the  foot  of  La  Salle  street. 

In  1890  the  "  Yosemite"  was  added  to  the  fleet  and 
the  ' '  Chicago  ' '  was  transferred  to  South  Chicago. 

In  1898  a  fourth  boat,  the  "Illinois,"  constructed 
of  steel,  was  built  and  placed  in  service. 

The  statistics  of  the  department  on  the  first  day  of 
September,  1899,  were  as  follows  :  Engine  companies, 
including  one  double  company  and  four  fire  boats,  86  ; 
hook  and  ladder  companies,  27,  and  hose  companies,  1, 
with  a  total  force  of  1,126  men.  The  value  of  depart- 
ment property  was  :  Buildings,  $684,300  ;  land,  $361,- 
575;  apparatus,  $933,510;  total,  $1,979,385.  The  annual 
expense  of  operating  the  department  is  $1,500,000. 

D.  J.  SWENIE,  Fire  Marshal. 


THE  ILLINOIS  AND  MICHIGAN  CANAL. 

Immediately  after  the  peace  of  Paris,  in  1783,  the 
Ohio  river  began  to  be  utilized  as  a  thoroughfare  by 
which  the  Americans  began  their  pioneer  advances 
into  the  great  west  for  settlements.  The  lakes,  as  a 
channel  of  communication  to  reach  it,  were  not  then 
thought  of,  nor  could  they  have  been  traversed  for  this 
purpose  if  they  had,  for  the  British  held  possession  of 
the  whole  northern  frontier  till  1796,  as  already  stated 
in  foregoing  pages.  These  conditions  gave  the  coun- 
tries along  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributa- 
ries a  great  advantage  over  the  borders  of  the  northern 
lakes  in  the  start ;  and  even  as  late  as  1850  the- supe- 
riority of  the  Ohio  river  and  the  Mississippi,  as  far 
northward  as  St.  Louis,  over  the  lakes  as  stimulators 
to  the  growth  of  cities,  was  demonstrated  by  the  vig- 
orous growth  of  Cincinnati,  Louisville  and  St.  Louis, 
while  Buffalo,  Cleveland,  Detroit  and  Chicago  were  far 
behind  them,  with  no  hope,  unless  it  were  apparently 
a  visionary  one,  of  ever  reaching  them  in  numbers  and 
wealth. 

That  this  popular  decision  has  been  overruled  by 
a  fair  rivalship  between  the  two  local  interests,  is  due 
first  to  the  stimulus  imparted  to  Chicago  by  the  Illi- 
nois and  Michigan  canal,  and,  contingent  upon  it,  the 
matchless  railroad  system  which  centers  at  the  place. 
As  early  as  1822,  congress,  with  intelligent  forecast, 
granted  to  the  state  of  Illinois  the  right  of  way  across 
the  public  lands  from  Chicago  to  La  Salle  for  the  loca- 
tion of  this  canal,  having  the  year  before  obtained  a 

(163) 


164  The  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal. 

strip  of  land  by  treaty  from  the  Indians  for  this  pur- 
pose, as  already  told  in  preceding  pages. 

A  belt  of  land  ninety  feet  wide  on  each  side  of  the 
canal  for  its  use  was  at  the  same  time  donated  by  con- 
gress to  the  state  of  Illinois.  In  1827,  through  the 
efforts  of  Daniel  P.  Cook,  in  the  house  of  repVesenta- 
tives,  and  Senators  Kane  and  Thomas,  in  the  senate, 
alternate  sections  of  land  five  miles  wide  on  each  side 
of  the  canal  were  donated  to  the  state  of  Illinois  by  the 
United  States,  the  proceeds  from  the  sale  of  which 
were  to  be  applied  to  the  construction  of  the  canal,  by 
which  the  waters  of  Lake  Michigan  should  be  con- 
nected for  navigable  purposes  with  the  Illinois  river.* 

Wm.  F.  Thornton,  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard  and  Wm.  B. 
Archer  were  appointed  canal  commissioners,  with 
power  to  locate  its  route,  and  then  proceed  to  the  ex- 
ecution of  the  work.  The  first  thing  to  be  done  was 
to  survey  the  route;  and  to  further  this  purpose,  the 
commissioners  had  a  meeting  at  Vandalia,  and  ap- 
pointed Wm.  Good  ing  as  chief  engineer;  but  as  he 
could  not  commence  work  at  once,  it  was  agreed  that 
Mr.  Hubbard  should  employ  some  other  one  to  act  in 
his  place  until  he  could  assume  its  responsibilities. 
Accordingly,  Mr.  Hubbard  returned  to  Chicago  and 
engaged  the  services  of  Mr.  E.  B.  Talcott,  who,  with 
a  force  of  engineers  under  his  direction,  commenced 
the  survey  at  once;  and  by  May  1,  1836,  Mr.  Hubbard, 
with  his  assistance,  was  able  to  present  complete  plans 
for  the  work  to  Governor  Duncan  for  approval.  Two 
plans  were  presented ;  one  for  the  canal  as  it  now  is, 
and  one  of  less  dimensions.  The  former  was  decided 
on,  after  several  meetings  of  the  full  board,  and  to  Mr. 
Hubbard  and  Mr.  Talcott  belongs  the  credit  of  first 

*As  a  condition  of  this  donation,  it  was  stipulated  that  govern- 
ment goods  or  troops  were  forever  to  be  transported  on  the  canal 
free  of  toll;  and  a  few  months  after  it  was  finished  troops  and  muni- 
tions for  the  Mexican  war  were  transported  free,  agreeable  to  the 
conditions,  thereby  giving  the  work  a  national  character. 

H.  M.  SINGER,  then  Supt.  of  Repairs. 


The  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal.  165 

making  it.  The  following  month  (June),  contractors 
were  advertised  for;  and  the  next  month  (July),  on  the 
4th,  the  ceremony  of  turning  the  first  sod  was  duly 
celebrated  in  the  usual  unctuous  spirit  of  Chicago 
citizens.  Work  commenced  immediately  thereafter, 
and  under  the  administration  of  the  board  was  pushed 
as  rapidly  as  their  means  from  the  sale  of  land  would 
admit. 

Up  to  January,  1839,  there  had  been  expended 
$1,400,000.  The  state  then  became  embarrassed  and 
matters  grew  worse  until  1841,  pending  which  time  the 
State  bank  of  Illinois  having  failed,  the  state  itself 
could  not  pay  the  interest  on  her  bonds,  and  repudiation 
seemed  inevitable.  As  a  consequence,  the  progress  of 
her  extended  system  of  public  works,  including  the 
canal,  was  suddenly  arrested. 

A  quiescent  period  in  Chicago's  ambition  succeeded 
this  untoward  event;  but  in  the  fall  of  1842,  the  follow- 
ing gentlemen  met  in  council  to  devise  some  plan  by 
which  to  complete  the  canal  and  reap  the  expected 
benefits  from  it,  which  had,  as  yet,  only  been  in  antici- 
pation. Arthur  Bronson,  of  New  York;  Wm.  B.  Og- 
den,  Justin  Butterfield  and  Isaac  N.  Arnold,  of  Chicago, 
constituted  this  council,  who,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say, 
had  the  whole  northern  part  of  the  state  at  their  backs, 
besides  the  bondholders  of  the  state  itself.  At  this 
meeting  Mr.  Bronson  suggested  a  plan  for  completing 
the  canal,  and  making  it  a  source  of  revenue  instead  of 
a  disgraceful  wreck  of  fortune,  as  it  now  threatened  to 
prove  unless  prompt  action  was  taken  to  impart  new 
life  into  it. 

The  proposition  was  to  offer  to  the  bondholders  the 
canal  and  its  revenues  when  finished,  including  its 
landed  equities,  as  securities  for  additional  advances 
to  finish  it.  The  plan  was  timely  and  simple,  and  only 
required  the  sanction  of  the  state,  the  bondholders 
being  willing  to  make  the  necessary  advances  under  an 
assurance  that  they  should  control  the  proceeds  of  the 


166  The  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal. 

canal  and  its  immunities  till  they  were  paid;  and  Mr. 
Butterfield  drew  up  the  necessary  bill  to  be  submitted 
to  the  legislature  to  bring  the  scheme  into  effect. 
Simple  and  politic  as  it  was,  it  must  be  canvassed  by 
public  opinion  before  the  legislature  would  act  on  it; 
and  to  bring  it  understandingly  before  it,  Mr.  Arnold 
addressed  the  people  of  Chicago,  explaining  its  feat- 
ures, and  Mr.  Wentworth,  through  the  columns  of  the 
Democrat,  advocated  its  feasibility  and  necessity,  and 
Michael  Ryan,  a  state  senator  from  La  Salle  county, 
also  advocated  the  measure.  When  the  bill  came  be- 
fore the  legislature,  Mr.  Arnold  was  one  of  its  mem- 
bers, and,  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on  finance, 
had  charge  of  the  bill  in  the  house.  The  influence  of 
Thos.  Ford,  the  governor,  happily  was  in  favor  of  it. 
If  it  had  not  been,  it  would  not  have  passed,  for  the 
opposition  in  the  southern  part  of  the  state,  particu- 
larly along  the  Wabash  river,  was  strong  against  it, 
and  it  was  by  but  a  slender  majority  that  this  important 
measure  became  a  laW,  amended  by  some  prudential 
modifications,  among  which  was  a  provision  for  the  ap- 
pointment of  two  trustees  by  the  bondholders  and  one 
by  the  governor,  whose  business  it  was  to  see  that  all 
moneys  received  should  be  applied  to  the  completion 
of  the  work  and  faithful  execution  of  the  trust  confided 
to  the  bondholders.  Capt.  Wm.  H.  Swift,  late  of  the 
United  States  army,  and  David  Leavitt,  president  of 
the  American  Exchange  bank  of  New  York,  were  ap- 
pointed in  behalf  of  the  bondholders,  and  Jacob  Fry  in 
behalf  of  the  state. 

Work  was  now  resumed  on  the  canal,  and  under  the 
able  and  honest  administration  of  these  trustees  it  was 
finished  April  19,  1848,  and  on  May  1,  1871,  the  last 
dollar  of  the  canal  debt  was  paid,  and  the  canal  itself, 
with  its  unsold  lands,  together  with  nearly  $100,000 
surplus  in  the  treasury,  was  given  up  to  the  state. 
That  this  successful  measure  rescued  the  state  from 
repudiation  was  the  opinion  of  the  ablest  financiers  of 


TJie  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal.  167 

that  period,  and  that  it  gave  the  city  of  Chicago  a  solid 
foundation  on  which  to  lay  her  financial  dimension  stone 
has  never  been  questioned  by  any  one. 

But  few  j^ears  ago  every  well  informed  citizen  of 
Chicago  was  familiar  with  all  these  events,  but  now  a 
new  generation  has  grown  up,  or  come  to  the  place,  to 
whom  the  whole  matter  is  only  a  history  of  the  past. 

The  original  design  was  to  make  the  canal  a  deep 
cut,  sufficiently  below  the  level  of  Lake  Michigan  to 
enable  boats  to  pass  from  it  to  the  Mississippi  river,  by 
way  of  the  Illinois.* 

That  this  design  was  not  carried  out,  at  first,  was 
owing  to  the  embarrassed  credit  of  the  state,  as  already 
seen,  but  the  grand  original-  conception  has  never  yet 
been  lost  sight  of  by  the  representative  men  of  national 
interests;  and  in  1862  Mr.  Arnold,  who  then  repre- 
sented Chicago  in  congress,  introduced  a  bill  to  fulfill 
it.  His  bill  was  substantially  a  proposition  to  the  gen- 
eral government  to  aid  the  state  of  Illinois  in  complet- 
ing the  work.  It  was  referred  to  a  committee  on  mili- 
tary affairs,  of  which  Francis  P.  Blair  was  chairman, 
which  reported  unanimously  in  its  favor. 

The  next  year,  on  June  2,  1863,  a  great  convention 
was  held  in  Chicago,  to  bring  this  important  measure, 
which  had  now  assumed  national  proportions,  promi- 
nently before  the  public.  The  call  was  signed  by  Ed- 
ward Bates,  attorney  general  of  the  United  States,  and 
ninety-four  members  of  the  House  of  representatives. 
The  rebellion  was  then  raging  in  its,  as  yet,  unbroken 
power.  The  Mississippi  riverwas  blockaded,  and  how  to 
break  through  the  net  work  of  rebel  batteries  that  frowned 
upon  its  channel  was  an  unsolved  problem.  In  this 

*With  this  end  in  view  the  deep  cut  was  originally  made  part  way 
through  the  lime  rock  which  underlay  the  surface  of  the  summit,  but 
was  abandoned  as  too  expensive.  The  relinquishment  of  this  plan  made 
it  necessary  to  supply  the  canal  from  the  Calumet  river,  instead  of 
Lake  Michigan,  which  was  done  by  means  of  a  dam  and  feeders. 
During  low  water  this  stream  was  insufficient,  and  a  steam  pump  was 
then  resorted  to,  to  supply  water  from  the  south  branch  of  the  Chicago 


168  The  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal. 

extremity  it  was  argued  that  if  the  waters  of  the  great 
lakes  were  connected  with  those  of  the  Mississippi  so  as 
to  afford  a  passage  for  gunboats  such  a  facility  for  con- 
centrating force  into  the  heart  of  the  south  would  give 
the  north  a  great  advantage.  That  the  want  of  this  con. 
necting  link  in  navigating  the  interior  was  sensibly  felt 
at  this  time  is  evident  from  the  large  attendance  at  the 
Chicago  convention,  the  number  there  from  other  states 
than  Illinois  being  estimated  at  5,000.  Among  them 
was  Hannibal  Hamlin,  who  at  the  afternoon  session  of  the 
first  day  was  made  president  of  the  convention,  to 
whom  Hon.  Chauncey  Filley,  mayor  of  St.  Louis,  pres- 
ident pro  tern.,  relinquished  the  position  with  which  he 
had  been  honored  while  organizing  the  convention. 

On  taking  the  chair,  Mr.  Hamlin  addressed  the 
convention  in  his  usual  vein  of  wisdom,  setting  forth 
its  objects  and  approving  them.  A  committee  was 
appointed,  composed  of  men  from  several  states,  to 
prepare  a  memorial  for  presentation  to  congress,  to 
urge  upon  that  body  the  necessity  of  the  work.  This 
committee  met  in  New  York  the  following  October,  and 
prepared  the  memorial  in  accordance  with  their  in- 
structions. It  was  presented  to  congress  during  its 
following  session,  and  passed  the  house  of  represen- 
tatives, but  was  defeated  in  the  senate.  Meantime,  as 
the  city  of  Chicago  grew,  its  citizens  began  to  cast 
about  for  some  better  means  of  sewerage  than  their 
slight  elevation  above  the  lake  had  yet  afforded.  The 
river  was  an  inky  pool  of  stagnant  water,  with  change- 
able hues  of  oily  scum,  floating  lazily  on  its  surface, 
and  the  stench  arising  from  it  was  sometimes  almost 
insupportable.  The  fishes  had  long  since  deserted  it, 
and  lest  man  should  desert  its  banks  something  must 
be  done  to  purify  the  stream.  The  only  way  to  do  this 
was  to  produce  a  current  in  it,  and  this  current  could 
only  be  made  by  deepening  the  canal  so  as  to  make  a 
declination  through  the  summit,  and  thence  into  the 
valley  of  the  Illinois  river.  To  this  end  the  common 


The  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal.  169 

council  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  February  16, 1865,  passed 
an  act  to  contribute  $2,500,000  for  the  purpose  of  deep- 
ening the  canal,  on  condition  that  the  amount  expended 
should  be  vested  in  a  lien  upon  it  and  its  revenues,  after 
the  original  canal  debt  should  have  been  paid. 

The  work  was  promptly  pushed  through  to  com- 
pletion by  the  employment  of  a  heavy  force,  and  in 
July,  1871,  the  entire  excavation  was  finished,  and  the 
waters  of  Lake  Michigan  found  a  southern  outlet 
through  the  south  branch  of  the  Chicago  river  by  re- 
versing its  course,  thence  through  the  deepened  canal 
into  the  Illinois  river.  The  Chicago  river  through 
these  artificial  means  became  an  estuary,  and  as  the 
waters  of  the  lake  flowed  through  it,  it  became  much 
improved. 

Soon  after  the  Chicago  fire  of  1871,  the  state  con- 
vened an  extra  session  of  the  legislature,  and  passed 
an  act  to  refund  the  money,  with  interest,  which  the 
city  of  Chicago  had  expended  in  deepening  the  canal. 
This  was  done  in  a  spirit  of  charity  toward  the  city  to 
relieve  her  from  her  then  embarassed  condition,  when 
she  had  so  many  public  institutions  to  rebuild. 

The  increased  dimensions  of  the  canal  made  it 
sixty  feet  wide  at  the  surface,  thirty-six  feet  wide  on 
the  bottom,  and  a  depth  sufficient  to  insure  six  feet  of 
water  in  the  canal  at  the  lowest  water.  To  secure  this 
depth  the  excavation  was  made  6r6 A  feet  below  the  lake 
level  at  lowest  water.  There  is  reported  at  the  time  of 
writing  this  article  (April,  1880)  from  six  to  eight  feet 
of  water  in  the  canal  from  Lockport  to  Chicago,  the 
depth  varying  according  to  the  action  of  the  wind  on 
Lake  Michigan,  although  the  lake  is  now  unusually 
low.  Heavy  winds  vary  the  height  of  the  lake  for  short 
periods,  but  independent  of  this  cause  there  is  a  vari- 
ation in  the  level  of  the  lake  of  about  four  feet  from 
causes  not  yet  known.  The  lake  level  was  established 
by  the  trustees  of  the  canal  in  1847,  from  which  to 
establish  canal  levels  through  the  summit.  This  point 


170 


Table  of  Datum. 


became  the  base  of  city  levels  for  recording  the  fluctu- 
ations of  the  lake  surface,  and  was  adopted  by  the 
sewerage  commissioners  and  the  board  of  public  works 
as  the  base  or  datum  of  city  levels.  It  was  llyW  feet 
below  the  water  table  on  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
central  building  of  the  court  house,  destroyed  by  the 
fire  of  1871. 

It  was  also  established  on  the  Lind  block,  north- 
west corner  of  Market  and  Randolph  streets,  which 
still  stands  as  a  monument  of  a  turning  point  in  the 
great  fire,  as  well  as  an  old  water  mark.  Since  the  fire 
other  marks  have  been  established  at  various  places. 

The  following  table  shows  the  elevation  of  Lake 
Michigan  above  or  below  Chicago  datum  from  January, 
1854,  to  February,  1880,  in  feet  and  hundredths.  From 
the  fact  that  this  datum  was  established  at  a  very  low 
stage  of  the  lake,  almost  all  the  records  since  are  above 
city  datum.  Those  below  are  distinguished  by  the 
prefix  of  a  dash. 

TABLE    SHOWING    MAXIMUM,    MINIMUM    AND    MEAN   WATER    IN    LAKE. 

MICHIGAN  ANNUALLY,   PROM  1854  TO  1899,   BOTH 

INCLUSIVE,  IN  FEET. 


YEAR. 

MAX. 

MI.N. 

MEAN. 

YEAR. 

MAX. 

MIN. 

MEAN. 

1854 

1  83 

1877  

3.56 

1.04 

2.31 

1855 

3  45 

0  15 

1.56 

1878  

3.14 

0.51 

2.00 

1856 

3  56 

0  42 

1  60 

1879  

2.51 

—0.49 

1.06 

1857 

4  35 

0  60 

2  42 

1880  

2.81 

—0.99 

1.16 

1858 

4  69 

1  33 

2  00 

1881  

3.01 

—2.19 

1.26 

1859 

4  45 

1  31 

2  98 

1882  

3.01 

—0.99 

2.00 

1860 

3  53 

1  30 

2  54 

1883  

3.81 

—0.99 

2.10 

1861 

4  40 

1  20 

2  56 

1884  

3.31 

—0.01 

2.24 

1862 

3  80 

0  70 

2.50 

1885  

3.71 

—0.01 

2.48 

1863 

3  30 

—  0  80 

2.10 

1886  

4.41 

0.01 

2.64 

1864 

2  80 

—  0  40 

1.57 

1887  

3.11 

0.01 

1.96 

1865 

3  66 

—  1  08 

1  30 

1888  

3.01 

0.01 

1.30 

1866 

2  50 

0  00 

1  07 

1889  

2.51 

—0.79 

0.77 

1867 

2  60 

—  0  41 

1  49 

1890  

2.21 

—0.99 

0.63 

1868 

2  58 

—  1  00 

1  01 

1891  

1.61 

—2.39 

0.05 

1869 

2  13 

0  41 

1  13 

1892  

1.30 

—3.60 

—0.17 

1870 

3  25 

—  0  30 

2  09 

1893...  

1.00 

—1.30 

—O.LIO 

1871 

2  80 

—0.40 

1.77 

1894  

1.80 

—1.80 

0.50 

1872 

1  80 

—  0  74 

0  81 

1895  

0.63 

—1.24 

—0.49 

1873 

2  73 

—  0  76 

1.40 

1896  

0.00 

—1.70 

—0.58 

1874 

2  80 

0  20 

1  67 

1897  

1.60 

—1.30 

0.33 

1875 

3  01 

—  0  34 

1.45 

1898  

1.09 

—1.25 

0.47 

1876  

4.31 

0.34 

2.65 

18^9  

2.10 

—1.50 

0.53 

The  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal.  171 

The  material  for  the  following  history  of  the  canal 
has  been  obtained  from  Gurdon  S.  Hubbard,  E.  B.  Tal- 
cott,  William  Thomas,  superintendent  of  the  canal, 
Isaac  N.  Arnold,  H.  M.  Singer  and  F.  G.  Saltonstall, 
while  these  men  were  living,  all  of  whom  have  been  of- 
ficially associated  with  the  canal,  and  are  familiar  with 
its  growth  from  its  first  beginning. 


CHICAGO  DRAINAGE  CANAL. 

While  it  is  true  that  the  drainage  of  what  is  called 
the  sanitary  district  of  Chicago  is  an  indispensable 
necessity  to  promote  the  health  of  the  city,  yet  the  ul- 
terior objects  may  be  far  reaching,  in  a  financial  and 
even  a  national  point  of  view,  continuing  more  so  as 
the  city  advances  in  population  and  wealth. 

The  drainage  canal  begins  where  Robey  street 
crosses  the  south  branch  of  the  Chicago  river,  its 
southern  terminus  being  at  Lockport,  a  distance  of 
28.05  miles,  at  which  place  the  controlling  works  of  the 
canal  are  located.  Below  Lockport  the  flow  of  the 
drainage  canal  unites  with  the  waters  of  the  Des- 
plaines  river,  down  its  onward  course  through  the  city 
of  Joliet. 

There  were  many  physical  conditions  bearing  on 
the  construction  of  this  canal.  The  Desplaines  river, 
whose  flow  paralleled  it  in  its  entire  length,  presented 
almost  insurmountable  difficulties  to  overcome.  In  its 
water  shed  was  nothing  but  surface  drainage,  without 
springs  or  any  other  permanent  source  of  supply; 
hence,  in  severe  droughts  the  river  was  almost  lost  in 
the  sand,  and  only  stood  in  shallow  pools  above  or  below 
sand  bars,  while  in  times  of  high  water  the  lowlands 
along  its  banks  were  inundated.  These  inconstant 
conditions  made  it  necessary  to  excavate  the  drainage 
channel  independent  of  it,  in  order  to  do  which  a  new 
river  channel  had  to  be  made,  thirteen  miles  in  length, 
the  object  of  this  river  diversion  being  to  prevent  its 
surplus  waters  from  flooding  the  canal.  It  was  not 

(178) 


Chicago  Drainage  Canal.  173 

until  1889  that  by  an  act  of  the  legislature  of  Illinois 
the  sanitary  district  of  Chicago  was  formed,  and  not 
until  September  3,  1892,  was  the  work  begun  to  carry 
out  the  objects  of  this  enactment.  The  sanitary  dis- 
trict comprises  all  that  part  of  Chicago  north  of  Eighty- 
seventh  street,  added  to  which  are  about  forty  square 
miles  west  of  the  city  limits,  all  of  which  territory  is 
adjudged  to  be  benefited  by  the  improvement,  and  all 
the  lands  lying  within  this  district  are  subject  to  taxa- 
tion to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  drainage  canal.  The 
limit  of  taxation  by  the  first  enactment  was  one-half  of 
1  per  cent,  but  by  an  amendment  in  1895  this  power 
was  increased  to  \\  per  cent  for  a  period  of  three  years. 
In  1897  the  legislature  extended  this  rate  of  taxation 
for  two  years  more,  which  included  the  year  1899.  The 
trustees  of  the  canal  are  elected  by  popular  vote,  in- 
dependent of  the  municipal  government  of  Chicago. 
They  may  issue  bonds  to  the  extent  of  5  per  cent  of 
the  taxable  property  of  the  drainage  district,  providing 
such  bonds  do  not  exceed  $15,000,000.  The  total  ex- 
pense of  the  construction  of  the  canal  up  to  January  1, 
1900,  including  every  item,  amounts  to  $33,525,691.20. 

It  has  a  flowing  capacity  of  300,000  cubic  feet  of 
water  per  minute,  with  a  current  in  its  smallest  section 
at  a  rate  of  one  and  a  quarter  miles  per  hour.  In  its 
maximum  section,  provision  is  made  for  flow  of  600,000 
cubic  feet  per  minute,  this  copious  flow  being  necessary 
to  purify  the  waters  below  by  dilution.  This  calcula- 
tion has  been  made  on  a  scale  sufficient  to  fulfill  the 
requirements  of  a  city  of  3,000,000  inhabitants. 

From  Robey  street  to  Summit, 7. 8  miles,  the  channel 
is  110  feet  wide  at  the  bottom  and  198  feet  at  the  water 
line.  From  Summit  to  Willow  Springs,  5.3  miles,  202 
feet  wide  at  bottom  and  290  feet  at  the  water  line. 
From  Willow  Springs  to  the  walled  and  rock  cross-sec- 
tion, 14.95  miles,  to  Lockport,  the  channel  is  but  160 
feet  wide  at  bottom  and  162  feet  at  top. 


174  Chicago  Drainage  Canal. 

This  immense  labor  and  the  expense  attending  it 
has  been  the  result  of  Chicago  ambition  and  energy 
combined,  without  assistance  from  the  national  govern- 
ment, or  even  from  the  state  of  Illinois,  except  by  leg- 
islative enactments. 

Only  the  first  objects  of  the  canal  have  thus  far 
been  accomplished,  which  were  to  dispose  of  the  sewer- 
age of  Chicago  and  purify  the  river ;  to  do  which  the 
twenty-two  feet  depth  of  the  canal  was  necessary,  being 
less  expensive  than  to  broaden  it  through  the  rock  cut, 
for  this  purpose.  If  the  canal  is  to  be  made  available 
for  navigation,  the  Desplaines  river,  from  Lockport  to 
its  confluence  with  the  Illinois  river,  and  the  latter 
stream,  must  be  made  navigable  by  slack  water  dams, 
or  other  means,  to  the  Mississippi  river. 

Sixteen  feet  depth  of  water  will  be  the  limit  of  the 
requirements  for  navigation  on  these  streams,  that 
being  all  that  the  Mississippi  river  can  afford,  even 
after  the  government  improvements  of  this  river  have 
been  completed. 

The  whole  work  has,  from  the  beginning,  been 
under  the  charge  of  the  following  civil  engineers  : 

Lyman  E.  Cooley,  appointed  February  1,  1890; 
resigned  December  10,  1890.  William  E.  Worthen, 
appointed  December  17,  1890;  resigned  April  21,  1891. 
Samuel  G.  Artingstall,  appointed  May  6, 1891  ;  resigned 
January  16,  1892.  Benezette  Williams,  appointed  Jan- 
uary 16,  1892  j  resigned  June  7, 1893.  Isham  Randolph, 
appointed  June  7,  1893,  still  in  office  September,  1900. 


j.  s.  c.  HOGAN'S  STORE,  WHERE  THE  FIRST  CHICAGO 

POST   OFFICE   WAS   KEPT. 
From  an  Original  Painting  Taken  by  FERNANDO  JONES. 


THE   SECOND   BUILDING   WHERE   THE 
CHICAGO  POST  OFFICE  WAS  KEPT. 


THE  CHICAGO  POSTOFFICE. 

Letters  were  first  brought  to  Chicago  by  the 
annual  arrival  of  a  vessel  at  the  fort,  or  by  some  chance 
traveler  who  came  to  the  place  through  the  wilderness, 
and  later  by  government  mail  carriers,  who  brought 
the  mail  to  the  fort  from  Detroit,  Fort  Wayne  or  St. 
Joseph,  about  once  a  month.  These  were  the  only  ave- 
nues through  which  the  outside  world  could  be  heard 
from  till  1831,  up  to  which  time  no  postoffice  had  been 
established,  and  private  persons  were  dependent  on  the 
courtesy  of  the  commander  of  the  fort  for  the  receipt 
of  letters.  Jonathan  N.  Bailey,  an  Indian  trader,  was 
the  first  postmaster  appointed  to  act  here,  and  on 
March  31,  1831,  opened  his  office*  on  the  east  bank  of 
the  Chicago  river,  just  north  of  the  present  Lake  street 
bridge,  in  a  log  store,  where  John  S.  C.  Hogan  sat  at 
the  receipt  of  custom.  The  official  duties  of  Mr.  Bailey 
were  very  light,  the  mail  arriving  at-intervals  of  one  or 
two  weeks,  and  the  dozen  letters  and  as  many  more 
newspapers  it  contained  were  quickly  handed  out  to 
their  eager  expectants,  when  no  farther  work  was  nec- 
essary till  another  mail  came. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Black  Hawk  war,  for 
some  cause,  possibly  through  fear  of  cholera,  he  moved 
with  his  family  to  St.  Louis,  and  John  S.  C.  Hogan,  the 
proprietor  of  the  store,  who  was  his  son-in-law,  became 
his  successor,  November  2,  1832.  There  are  yet,  in 
1900,  a  very  few  of  the  earliest  settlers  who  retain  a 
distinct  recollection  of  receiving  their  letters  in  his 

*See  government  records  at  Washing-ton. 

(1T5) 


176  Chicago  Postoffice. 

scanty  quarters,  where  his  attention  was  divided  be- 
tween his  official  duties  and  dealing  out  sugar,  tea  or 
tobacco  by  the  pound,  or  gaudy  fabrics  to  the  tawny 
customers,  who  were  at  first  his  main  dependence  for 
income.  In  1834  he  moved  his  store  and  postoffice  to 
the  corner  of  Franklin  and  South  Water  streets,  where 
he  held  the  position  till  March  3,  1837,  subsequent  to 
which  time  he  went  to  Booneville  and  died  in  1868. 
His  successor  was  Sidney  Abell.  By  this  time  the 
amount  of  postoffice  business  had  increased  to  a  great 
extent,  not  only  as  a  delivery  of  Chicago  letters,  but  as 
a  distributing  office  to  points  west,  and  the  former 
scanty  quarters  being  inadequate  to  the  wants  of 
increasing  business,  the  office  was  removed  to  the 
south  side  of  Clark  street,  a  little  south  of  Water  street, 
and  a  salary  of  $4,000  per  annum  was  allowed  him. 
He  retained  the  office  till  1841,  when  President  Harri- 
son appointed  Wm.  Stuart  his  successor — the  same  who 
was  the  editor  of  the  Chicago  American.  He  retained 
the  office  during  President  Tyler's  administration,  sub- 
sequent to  which  time  he  went  to  Binghamton,  N.  Y., 
where  he  died.  James  K.  Polk  was  the  next  president 
of  the  United  States,  and  Hart  L.  Stewart  was  his 
appointee  for  the  Chicago  postoffice  during  his  term, 
from  1844  to  1848.  He  was  the  first  presidential  ap- 
pointee. The  postmasters  preceding  him  were  ap- 
pointed by  the  postmaster-general. 

Mr.  Fillmore,  who  took  the  presidential  chair  after 
the  death  of  Mr.  Taylor,  appointed  Geo.  W.  Dole  as 
postmaster,  who  retained  the  position  till  the  election 
of  Franklin  Pierce  in  1852,  who  appointed  Isaac  Cook 
to  the  position  in  the  spring  of  1853.  The  location  of 
the  office  had  been  removed  to  the  east  side  of  Clark 
street,  across  the  alley  from  the  Sherman  house.  From 
there  it  was  removed  across  the  street  to  the  south 
side  of  the  same  alley,  and  over  it  was  the  office  of  the 
Chicago  Tribune.  Thence  it  was  removed  to  Nos.  82 
and  84  Dearborn  street. 


Chicago  Postoffice.  177 

On  the  accession  of  James  Buchanan  to  the  presi- 
dential chair  in  1857,  Wm.  Price  was  appointed  post- 
master. He  retained  the  office  but  a  few  months, 
when,  owing  to  the  deadlock  between  Senator  Douglas 
and  the  administration  on  the  validity  of  the  Lecomp- 
ton  constitution  in  Kansas,  and  kindred  toils,  it  was 
deemed  necessary  to  remove  him,  which  was  promptly 
done,  and  Mr.  Cook,  who  was  a  friend  to  Buchanan's 
measures,  was  restored  to  his  position,  which  he 
retained  till  the  election  of  Abraham  Lincoln  in  I860,* 
who  appointed  John  L.  Scripps,  whose  editorship  of  the 
Chicago  Tribune  is  still  fresh  in  our  memories.  Mr. 
Scripps,  on  account  of  ill  health,  declined  an  appoint- 
ment under  Mr.  Lincoln's  second  term,  and  Samuel 
Hoard  was  appointed  as  his  successor.  He  retained 
the  position  till  President  Johnson  took  the  executive 
chair,  made  vacant  by  Mr.  Lincoln's  death,  when 
Robt.  A.  Gillmore  was  appointed,  but  was  accidentally 
drowned  in  the  year  1867,  and  Frank  T.  Sherman  was 
appointed  to  fill  the  place  during  Mr.  Johnson's  term. 
On  the  accession  of  General  Grant  to  the  presidency  in 
1869,  Francis  A.  Eastman  was  appointed  to  the  place. 
He  resigned  in  1873,  and  Gen.  John  McArthur  was 
appointed  by  General  Grant  to  the  place,  who  took  pos- 
session of  the  office  February  14,  and  held  it  till  March 
10,  1877,  at  which  time  Hon.  F.  W.  Palmer  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  position  by  President  Hayes. 

At  the  great  fire  of  1871  it  is  worthy  of  remark 
that  while  nearly  all  private  property  in  the  burnt  dis- 
trict was  destroyed,  the  mail  was  all  saved  by  dint  of 
hard  work,  not  exempt  from  danger  to  the  employes  of 
the  departments.  It  was  established  on  the  northwest 

*Previous  to  this  time  Hon.  John  Wentworth,  when  representa- 
tive to  congress  in  1853,  had  obtained  at  the  first  session  of  the  thirty- 
third  congress  in  the  civil  and  diplomatic  appropriation  bill,  approved 
August  4,  1854,  the  first  appropriation  for  the  Chicago  postoffice  in 
the  following  words:  "For  the  accommodation  of  the  custom  house, 
postoffice,  United  States  courts,  and  steamboat  inspectors,  a  building 
of  stone,  85x60  feet,  sixty  feet  in  height  from  the  foundation,  to  cost 
not  more  $88,000."  And  it  is  worthy  of  mention  that  this  is  the  only 
building  whose  walls  survived  the  great  fire  of  1871. 


178  Chicago  Postoffice. 

corner  of  State  and  Sixteenth  streets,  from  where, 
after  two  months,  it  was  removed  to  the  Wabash  ave- 
nue Methodist  church,  corner  of  Harrison  street, 
where  it  remained  till  the  fire  of  1874,  when  it  again 
fled  before  the  devouring  element — saving  all  the 
mail — establishing  itself  at  the  postal  station,  corner  of 
Washington  and  Halsted  streets,  in  the  west  division, 
and  no  interruption  was  caused  by  this  fire  in  the  de- 
livery of  letters.  These  quarters  were  retained  about 
a  month,  when  the  office  was  established  in  the  Honore 
building,  corner  of  Dearborn  and  Adams  streets,  where 
it  remained  till  fire  again  invaded  their  quarters,  Jan- 
uary 4,  1879,  when  they,  with  all  the  mail  saved, 
took  flight  to  the  northeast  corner  of  Washington  and 
State  streets,  in  the  basement  of  the  Singer  building, 
where  it  remained  till  April  12,  1879,  at  which  time 
the  office  was  established  in  the  government  building, 
occupying  the  square  between  Adams,  Jackson,  Clark 
and  Dearborn  streets. 

The  expenses  of  the  office  in  1836  were  $300,  and 
its  commissions  the  same  year  were  $2,148.29.  Ten 
years  later,  in  1846,  the  expenses  were  $5,234.39,  while 
the  receipts  were  $7,228.51.  Ten  years  later,  in  1856, 
the  expenses  were  $41,130.56,  and  the  receipts  $65,- 
804.51. 

Since  the  fire,  beginning  with  1872,  the  total 
amount  of  money  order  transactions  received  and  paid 
out  have  been  as  follows:  For  1872,  $7,937,751.20; 
1873,  $10,632,069.08;  1874,  $14,507,431.83;  1875,  $14,741,- 
446.65;  1876,  $12,930,824.88;  1877,  $13,157,085.33;  1878, 
$15,598,765.14;  1879,  $16, 892, 975. 92;  1880,  $18,366,974.56; 
1881,  $18,993,585.86;  1882,  $19,925,812.56;  1883,  $20,331,- 
223.62;  1884,  $20,169,101.34;  1885,  $19,975,030.52;  1886, 
$19,917,186.72;  1887,  $19, 495, 136. 20;  1888,  $19,257,063.02; 
1889,  $18,793,515.06;  1890,  $19,338,771.82;  1891,  $20, 396,- 
166.90;  1892,  $22,003,175.94;  1893,  $23,609,126.10;  1894, 
$25,512,426.24;  1895,  $30,127,376.62;  1896,  $31,150,655.32; 
1897,  $39,822,460.86;  1898,  $50,476,215.72;  1899,  $61,742,- 


Chicago  Postoffice.  179 

824.76.  The  sale  of  stamps,  stamped  envelopes  and 
postal  cards  for  the  same  period  has  been  as  follows: 
For  1872,  $715,010.27;  1873,  when  postal  cards  were 
first  introduced,  $788,006.29;  1874,  $840,388.48;  1875, 
$970,886.47;  1876,  $955,417.70;  1877,  $953,148.08;  1878, 
$1,006,352.10;  1879,  $1,074,237.62;  1880,  $1,347,724.26; 
1885,  $1,955,123.75;  1890,  $3,318,989.45;  1895,  $4,867,- 
432.08;  1899,  $6,347,320.21. 

Mr.  Palmer  remained  postmaster  through  the  ad- 
ministration of  President  Garfield  and  his  successor, 
Chester  A.  Arthur. 

Grover  Cleveland  was  the  next  president,  and  ap- 
pointed S.  Corning-  Judd  as  postmaster,  May  5,  1885, 
who  held  the  position  until  November  19,  1888,  when 
Walter  C.  Newberry  was  appointed  by  Mr.  Cleveland 
to  take  his  place.  He  held  it  until  the  election  of  Ben- 
jamin Harrison  to  the  presidency,  who  appointed 
James  A.  Sexton  as  postmaster,  April  6, 1889,  who  held 
the  position  until  the  second  term  of  Mr.  Cleveland. 
Washington  Hesing  was  then  appointed  postmaster  by 
him,  November  25,  1893. 

Wm.  McKinley  was  next  elected  as  president,  and 
on  March  19,  1897,  appointed  Chas.  U.  Gordon  as  post- 
master, who  is  the  present  incumbent. 

The  present  location  of  the  postoffice  is  on  Michi- 
gan avenue,  at  the  head  of  Washington  street,  where 
it  will  remain  until  the  new  government  building,  now 
in  course  of  construction,  is  completed. 

The  great  Chicago  fire  marked  the  beginning  of  an 
increase  in  the  growth  of  the  city,  hitherto  unknown. 
Improved  methods  in  every  department  of  commerce 
came  into  use,  and  the  postoffice  service  kept  abreast 
of  them.  New  responsibilities  had  to  be  provided,  far 
too  numerous  for  historical  detail. 

The  delivery  and  collections  of  mail  were  materi- 
ally improved  in  1899.  The  number  of  collections  was 
increased  to  2,051  daily  throughout  Chicago.  The  de- 


180  Chicago  Postoffice. 

livery  service  was  increased  to  3,577.  The  carrier 
force  was  increased  to  1,500  carriers. 

The  clerical  force  was  increased  to  1, 289.  All  told, 
the  Chicago  postoffice  has  2,789  employes. 

The  receipts  for  the  postal  department  for  the 
fiscal  year  ending-  June  30,  1900,  were  $6,609,218.72;  the 
expenditures  for  the  same  year  were  $2,591,219.77. 

"Not  a  sparrow  falls  to  the  ground  but  is  noticed 
by  the  department. "  If  a  person  makes  any  complaint, 
either  with  or  without  cause,  it  goes  into  the  postoffice 
records.  But  to  the  credit  of  the  department  be  it 
said  that  only  a  small  percentage  of  them  are  well 
founded.  In  1899  there  were  1,289  letter  carriers  and 
1,500  clerks  in  the  department,  and  it  is  an  extremely 
rare  thing  when  any  one  of  all  this  number  commits  an 
indiscretion  for  which  he  loses  his  place. 

No  commercial  house,  large  or  small,  can  make  so 
good  a  showing — a  proof  that  public  service  can  be 
honestly  and  economically  performed  under  a  proper 
system  of  tutelage. 


REMINISCENCES  OF  H.  O.  STONE. 

He  was  the  father  of  H.  O.  Stone,  now  a  well 
known  citizen  of  Chicago.  The  elder  Mr.  Stone  gave 
these  records  to  his  son  in  1869,  who  has  furnished 
them  for  this  work.  They  are  of  a  historical  charac- 
ter, as  to  the  rugged  pioneers  of  Chicago,  a  race  of 
men  now  only  living  in  history — nor  can  they  be  repro- 
duced, for  want  of  the  conditions  to  do  it.  Mr.  Stone 
was  descended  from  good  old  English  stock,  planted  in 
western  New  York,  when  that  locality  was  called  the 
far  west,  peopled  by  hunters  and  bold,  dashing  adven- 
turers who  had  prophetic  inspiration  into  the  future 
destiny  of  the  great  interior.  The  war  of  1812  fired 
the  savage  heart  of  the  entire  frontier.  He  armed 
himself  with  a  scalping  knife  and  a  rifle  to  take  a  hand 
in  the  general  melee  in  favor  of  his  father  from  over 
the  wave,  who  had  never  tried  to  drive  him  from  his 
hunting  grounds,  which  the  Americans  had  done;  but 
the  Indian  did  not  stop  to  consider  that  his  British 
father  had  no  incentive  for  doing  such  a  thing.  Though 
born  in  England,  Mr.  Ebenezer  Stone  did  not  hesitate 
to  practically  swear  allegiance  to  America  by  enlisting 
to  fight  on  her  side  in  this  war.  In  this  service  he  was 
sometimes  brought  in  contact  with  Indians  on  the 
war  path,  some  of  whom  licked  the  dust  under  the  un- 
erring aim  of  his  rifle. 

This  venerable  pioneer,  Ebenezer  Stone,  at  last 
came  to  Chicago,  and  died  in  1845  at  the  home  of  his 
son,  H.  O.  Stone,  father  of  the  present  H.  O.  Stone 
{now  living).  There  are  still  persons  living  who  re- 

(181) 


182  Reminiscences  of  H.  0.  Stone. 

member  the  old  versatile  tin  trunk  peddler,  who 
traveled  from  house  to  house  in  the  country  with  two 
tin  trunks,  one  on  each  side,  depending  from  the  end  of 
a  shaft  fitted  to  the  shoulders.  These  trunks  were 
filled  with  such  trinkets  as  constitute  the  stock  of  a 
thread  and  needle  store  of  our  day,  and  Mr.  H.  O. 
Stone  was  one  of  this  class  of  itinerant  merchants. 
Previous  to  this  occupation  he  had  worked  at  shoe 
making,  tanning  and  several  other  industries,  and  later 
he  became  a  builder  and  repairer  of  boats  on  the  Lack- 
awanna  canal,  also  a  bowsman  on  the  New  York  and 
Erie  canal. 

Next  we  find  him  at  Clinton,  Mich.,  where  he  en- 
tered eighty  acres  of  government  land,  settled  down  to 
farming,  having  married  Jane  Ann  Lowry,  of  Erie, 
Pa.,  in  1833  in  Detroit,  Mich.  Soon  after  this  he  was 
drafted  to  fight  Black  Hawk  under  Gen.  Joseph  Brown, 
whom  his  father  and  brother  were  under  during  the 
war  of  1812.  They  met  700  Pottawattomie  warriors 
near  Niles,  Mich. ,  who  were  in  full  war  dress  and  war 
paint.  General  Brown  called  out  a  whole  regiment  of 
about  1,000  armed  men,  which  almost  depopulated  the 
vicinity  of  men  subject  to  draft.  The  Pottawattomies 
offered  to  join  them,  but  while  they  were  parleying,  a 
message  came  that  Black  Hawk  had  been  conquered 
at  the  battle  of  Bad  Axe,  Wisconsin,  when  they  were 
discharged.  Mr.  Stone  then  returned  to  his  farm,  but 
as  the  price  of  wheat  was  only  thirty-one  cents  per 
bushel,  payable  in  dry  goods  (not  groceries),  he  sold 
out,  sent  his  family  back  to  Erie,  Pa.,  and  started  for 
the  far  west.  His  destination  was  unsettled,  but  he 
had  decided  on  three  objective  points,  Chicago,  Gales- 
burg,  111.,  or  Galveston,  Tex.,  reaching  Chicago  by 
wagon  part  of  the  way  over  prairies,  and  part  of  the 
way  by  lake  from  Michigan  City,  and  stopping  over  at 
a  way  station  called  Baileytown.  The  only  hotel  here 
was  built  of  logs,  where  the  meals  were  good,  but  the 
lodgings  were  on  shelves  patterned  after  steamboat 


Reminiscences  of  II.  0.  Stone.  183 

berths.  Prairie  hay  instead  of  mattresses  was  used, 
and  for  covering1  but  two  Indian  blankets,  though  the 
weather  was  very  cold.  This  was  called  Mrs.  Bailey's 
hotel,  which  was  a  fair  pattern  of  all  the  western 
hotels  at  that  time.  Mrs.  Bailey  also  had  one  hotel 
west  of  Chicago  at  a  place  called  Berry's  Point. 

The  stage  was  filled  with  Chicago  merchants  re- 
turning from  New  York  or  Detroit.  The  latter,  being  a 
depot  for  Indian  goods,  was  a  more  important  place 
than  Chicago.  Among  the  passengers  were  J.  S.  C. 
Hogan,  first  postmaster  of  Chicago,  and  Henry  King, 
of  the  firm  of  Jones,  King  &  Clark,  hardware  and  stove 
dealers.  The  Chicago  merchants  were  stylish  in  their 
dress  and  liberal  in  their  expenditures  for  drinks,  which 
gave  Mr.  Stone  an  impression  that  business  was  good 
in  Chicago.  He  arrived  there  in  the  evening  of  Janu- 
ary 11,  1835,  and  stopped  at  the  corner  of  Lake  and 
Wells  streets,  where  Mark  Beaubien  kept  a  hotel.  He 
now  became  a  citizen  of  Chicago,  and  business  was  the 
imperative  question.  To  this  end  he  concluded  to  buy 
land,  and  made  application  to  a  Yorkshire  Englishman 
named  Blanchard  to  purchase  a  lot.  Mr.  Blanchard's 
price  for  the  lot  he  wanted  was  $60.  Hoping  to  get  it 
cheaper,  he  delayed  the  matter  a  day  when,  to  his  sur- 
prise, Mr.  Blanchard  raised  the  price  of  his  lot  $10. 
Not  purchasing  the  lot  at  that  time,  the  price  was 
raised  $10  for  each  day's  delay  till  it  increased  to  $90, 
when  he  concluded  to  purchase  it.  The  lot  was  located 
on  the  school  section,  and  he  had  to  wade  through 
water  three  feet  deep  to  get  to  it,  which  showed  he  had 
great  faith  in  the  future  of  Chicago.  He  had  but  $60 
left,  and  to  recuperate  his  finances  he  took  a  job  of 
cutting  the  timber  for  the  north  pier  on  the  north 
branch  of  the  Chicago  river,  receiving  $16  a  month  and 
board  in  the  woods,  finishing  the  work  March  1.  Dur- 
ing this  time  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  J.  D.  Caton, 
then  a  justice  of  the  peace,  office  on  Dearborn  street, 
who  subsequently  became  a  judge  of  a  Chicago  court, 


184  Reminiscences  of  H.  O.  Stone. 

a  gentleman  well  known  and  respected  by  a  large 
circle  of  business  men  in  Chicago.  The  purchase  of 
land  claims  offered  a  good  chance  for  speculation  at 
that  time,  and  he,  in  partnership  with  a  man  named 
John  Rogers,  engaged  in  that  business.  For  this  pur- 
pose they  hired  a  few  half  breed  Indians  to  take  them 
to  Milwaukee  in  a  wagon  with  provisions  for  three 
months,  camping  out  each  night  and  cooking  their  food 
in  the  open  air  before  a  camp  fire.  Three  days  of  this 
toilsome  journey  brought  them  to  Milwaukee,  where  a 
trading  post  was  kept  by  Mr.  Juneau,  after  whom  a 
county  in  Wisconsin  was  subsequently  named.  Here 
Mr.  Stone  and  his  companion  slept  on  the  floor  in  the 
same  room  with  several  traders  and  trappers.  There 
was  but  one  house  in  Milwaukee  at  that  time  besides 
the  trading  post.  Not  wishing  to  stop  here,  they 
started  northward  the  next  morning  on  a  trail  through 
the  dense  forest  through  a  deep  snow.  They  had  their 
own  team,  consisting  of  two  Indian  ponies  purchased 
of  Mr.  Juneau,  and  hired  an  Indian  to  accompany  them. 
In  this  way  they  traveled  fifteen  miles  the  first  day, 
when  night  overtook  them.  They  staked  out  their 
ponies,  built  a  fire,  cooked  their  supper  and,  wrapped 
in  their  blankets,  slept  soundly  until  morning,  when 
they  arose,  built  the  necessary  camp  fire  and  cooked 
their  breakfast.  The  Indian  then  started  for  the  ponies, 
but  only  one  of  them  could  be  found,  the  other  having 
returned  home.  Their1  capricious  Indian  guide  not 
wishing  to  continue  with  them  any  longer,  blacked  his 
hands  with  charcoal  and  made  some  hideous  hiero- 
glyphics on  his  cheeks,  and  making  a  grunt  started 
back  to  Milwaukee. 

In  this  emergency  Mr.  Stone  took  one-half  of  the 
goods,  and  with  the  remaining  pony  started  northward 
on  the  trail,  leaving  Mr.  Rogers  to  watch  the  other 
half,  consisting  of  tools,  guns,  provisions,  etc. 

The  next  night  he  reached  Sack  creek,  and  camped 
with  a  half  breed.  Next  morning  he  returned  by  the 


Reminiscences  of  H.  O.  Stone.  185 

same  route  he  came  to  where  he  had  left  Mr.  Rogers, 
finding  him  safe  at  his  lonely  post  with  all  the  goods. 

The  two  now  started  northward  together,  and 
reached  a  place  called  Waubun  in  three  days,  at  which 
place  Mr.  Stone  made  a  claim  at  the  mouth  of  a  river 
where  a  saw  mill  had  been  built,  being  the  first  one  in 
that  desolate  wild.  Brown  and  Payne  were  the  pioneer 
owners  of  it. 

The  next  June  Mr.  Stone  started  for  Chicago  to 
attend  the  first  great  land  sale  by  the  government,  to 
be  held  on  16th  and  17th  at  that  place.  Here  he  sold 
his  Chicago  lot  at  auction  for  $348,  for  which  he  had 
paid  $90  a  few  months  before,  John  Bates,  auctioneer. 

Mr.  Stone  then  commenced  a  business  for  which 
Chicago  has  ever  since  been  noted — grocery  and  provi- 
sion store  on  North  Water  street,  buying  his  goods  in 
New  York.  Soon  after  opening  his  store  he  went  to 
northern  Wisconsin  to  attend  a  government  land  sale 
June  16,  1836,  where  the  land  claims  that  he,  with  Mr. 
Rogers,  had  made  were  to  be  sold,  together  with  claims 
of  many  other  parties ;  but  he  did  not  succeed  in  buying 
his  claims,  as  a  pool  of  rich  bankers  had  bought  them, 
paying  for  them  and  for  all  other  claims  in  the  vicinity 
sixty  cents  an  acre,  which  was  much  higher  than  Mr. 
Stone  could  afford  to  give.  After  the  sale  was  over 
Mr.  Stone,  together  with  the  company  of  bankers  and 
other  speculators,  started  back  for  Chicago,  loaded 
down  with  camp  equipage  and  provisions.  In  this  com- 
pany were  William  Jones,  George  Smith,  the  famous 
Scotch  banker,  Erastus  Brown,  Alexander  Fullerton 
and  Alonzo  Huntington.  For  the  next  twenty-seven 
years  he  kept  his  store  running,  during  which  time  in 
May,  1839,  he  made  the  first  shipment  of  wheat  east, 
consisting  of  780  bushels  in  bags,  on  C.  M.  Reed's 
steamers,  for  which  he  received  seventy  cents  per 
bushel.  He  was  in  Chicago  during  two  Indian  pay- 
ments, when  7,000  Indians  camped  on  the  adjacent 
prairies.  At  that  time  Captain  Baxter,  of  Fort  Dear- 


186  Reminiscences  of  H.  O.  Stone. 

born,  with  a  few  men  captured  Ash  Cabway  and  son 
for  killing  an  unknown  man  and  shooting  Mr.  Lyman. 
These  victims  had  spent  the  night  in  a  wigwam  of  In- 
dians, where  they  were  betrayed  and  shot,  a  very  un- 
usual thing  at  that  time.  The  Indians  had  a  trial,  but 
through  the  influence  of  Juneau,  of  Milwaukee,  were 
not  convicted.  This  is  all  Mr.  Stone  says  of  the  tragedy. 
There  might  have  been  some  extenuating  circumstances 
about  the  matter,  not  known  to  Mr.  Stone,  but  it  shows 
the  summary  manner  in  which  crimes  might  be  either 
punished  or  compounded  at  that  time. 


EARLY  COMMERCE  OF  THE  LAKES. 

The  initial  step  to  build  up  Chicago,  from  the  first, 
was  to  provide  cereals  to  an  eastern  market,  that 
nature  produced  in  abundance  in  the  country  surround- 
ing this  favorite  spot.  The  great  chain  of  lakes,  at 
which  she  stood  at  the  extreme  limit,  were  an  avail- 
able highway  for  this  purpose.  Mr.  Oliver  Newberry, 
who  had  early  been  known  under  the  sobriquet  of  Ad- 
miral of  the  Lakes,  was  quick  to  see  this,  and  prompt 
to  execute  plans  to  make  the  most  of  the  situation  by 
building  docks  at  Buffalo,  Detroit  and  Chicago,  and 
also  a  fleet  for  lake  service.  He  had  served  in  the  war 
of  1812  against  England,  during  the  first  part  of  which 
France  under  Napoleon  was  fighting  the  same  power, 
and  consequently  an  indirect  ally  to  America.  This 
made  our  soldiers  look  upon  Napoleon  as  our  friend,  as 
well  as  the  -friend  of  humanity.  Mr.  Newberry  shared 
this  sentiment,  and  consistent  with  this  conviction 
named  five  of  his  vessels  in  honor  of  our  august  ally, 
as  he  considered  Napoleon.  These  names  were  Napo- 
leon, Marshal  Ney,  Prince  Eugene,  Austerlitz  and 
Marengo,  thereby  associating  the  pioneer  commerce  of 
Chicago  with  a  patriotic  compliment  due  France,  the 
first  friend  of  our  nation. 

Their  first  warehouse  was  ouilt  at  foot  of  Clark 
street  on  the  river,  thus  introducing  the  warehousing 
system  in  Chicago.  Mr.  George  Dole  was  then  con- 
nected with  him  as  a  partner.* 

*See  on  p.  19  of  this  volume  a  picture  of  this  warehouse,  with  an 
article  from  the  Democrat  of  July  16,  1834,  on  this  first  arrival  of  the 
Newberry  vessel. 

(187) 


188  Early  Commerce  of  the  Lakes. 

His  vessels  and  steamers  touched  at  Green  Bay, 
where  the  firm  was  Newberry  &  Goddel,  at  Sturgeon 
Bay  and  Milwaukee,  where  Alexander  Mitchell  was 
his  agent,  and  at  Racine,  Kenosha  and  Waukegan. 

A  majority  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  states  of 
Wisconsin  and  northern  and  central  Illinois  came  with 
their  families  and  effects  on  his  vessels,  and  yet  recall 
his  generosity  and  forbearance  if  short  of  food  or 
freight  money.  His  vigor,  energy  and  enterprise  were 
a  great  factor  in  the  early  and  rapid  settlement  of  the 
agricultural  districts  of  those  states  from  1826  to  the 
advent  of  railways  after  1850. 

Oliver  Newberry  was  born  at  Windsor,  Conn.,  in 
1789,  removed  to  Oneida  county,  New  York,  in  1804 
with  his  father,  entered  the  army  in  1812,  was  dis- 
charged in  1814,  settled  in  Ohio  at  once,  and  in  1816 
opened  a  grocery  and  ship  chandlery  in  Buffalo,  and  in 
1822  removed  to  Detroit,  where  he  established  a  ship 
yard,  mercantile  warehouse  and  docks  and,  as  contrac- 
tor of  Indian  and  military  supplies  for  the  government 
post  and  agencies,  accumulated  the  capital  to  carry 
out  his  many  schemes  for  the  improvement  of  trans- 
portation on  the  lakes. 

.  Oliver.  Newberry  died  a  bachelor  in  1860,  aged 
seventy-one  years,  leaving  a  record  of  probity,  energy 
and  executive  ability  sufficient  to  accomplish  his  am- 
bitious purposes,  which  have  become  historical. 

In  the  conduct  of  his  great  enterprises  he  bought 
land  in  Chicago  and  established  his  younger  brother, 
Walter  L.  Newberry,  here.  Walter  acquired  much  of 
this  property,  and  became  a  partner  in  the  house  as 
Newberry  &  Dole,  changed  to  Dole,  Rumsey  &  New- 
berry,  then  Rumsey  Bros.,  and  still,  after  seventy 
years,  represented  by  the  Rumseys  on  our  Board  of 
Trade. 

Walter  L.  Newberry  became  a  banker  under  the 
firm  name  of  Newberry  &  Burch — then  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Merchants'  Loan  and  Trust  Co.,  an  or- 


Early  Commerce  of  the  Lakes.  189 

ganizer,  director  and  president  of  the  Chicago  & 
Galena  and  the  Dixon  &  Fulton  Air  Line  railroads, 
now  the  great  North- Western  Railroad  Company. 

As  president  of  the  school  board,  the  Chicago  His- 
torical Society  and  an  early  city  alderman  he  was  a 
faithful  servant  of  the  people,  and  by  will  endowment 
that  magnificent  monument  to  his  memory,  the  New- 
berry  Library,  was  given  to  Chicago.  - 

Walter  Cass  Newberry,  now  an  honorable  citizen  of 
Chicago,  was  a  nephew  and  protege  of  Oliver  Newberry, 
born  at  the  Newberry  homestead  in  Oneida  county,  in 
1835;  came  to  Chicago  in  the  interest  of  his  uncle's 
shipping  in  1853;  in  1858  was  recalled  to  Detroit,  and 
became  a  member  of  the  firm  soon  after  attaining  his 
majority.  As  joint  executor,  administered  his  uncle's 
estate,  and  in  1861  went  into  the  Union  army,  and  from 
a  private,  under  six  intermediate  commissions,  was  dis- 
charged with  the  rank  of  a  brigadier  general.  Return- 
ing to  Chicago  after  the  war,  he  became  a  railroad  con- 
structor, merchant  and  warehouseman.  He  served  the 
government  as  postmaster  of  the  city  he  had  seen  grow 
from  50,000  to  1,000,000  inhabitants. 

He  was  elected  to  congress  from  the  North  Side 
district,  and  has  served  the  people  in  any  capacity  for 
improved  government  and  advanced  citizenship  when 
called  upon. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  Newberry s  have  been 
a  factor  in  Chicago's  greatness,  among  other  pioneers 
who  honor  the  records  of  her  early  days. 


THE  FIELD  COLUMBIAN  MUSEUM. 

The  logical  sequence  of  a  great  exposition  is  a  great 
museum.  The  South  Kensington  museum,  of  London, 
was  the  sequel  of  the  World's  Fair  of  1851,  the  first  of 
the  great  international  expositions.  The  National 
museum  at  Washington  received  its  most  important 
impetus  and  its  largest  accessions  from  the  Centennial 
Exposition  of  1876.  While  none  of  the  national  museums 
of  Paris  rests  distinctively  upon  any  one  of  the  French 
international  expositions,  those  of  the  Louvre,  of  Cluny, 
and  of  the  Conservatoire  des  Arts  et  Metiers  have 
constantly  gathered  accessions  from  these  sources. 

Purely  commercial  exhibits,  shown  at  expositions, 
are  usually  prepared  for  immediate  practical  service, 
have  a  present  convertible  value,  and  are  the  property 
of  individuals  who  expect  from  them  immediate  and 
future  profit.  When  the  exposition  closes,  these  exhi  bits 
resume  their  place  among  the  active  assets  of  their 
owners.  But  a  large  proportion  of  the  most  interesting 
and  instructive  exhibits  have  no  such  commercial  value. 
They  were  prepared  simply  to  demonstrate  or  illustrate 
some  element  of  the  condition  or  progress  of  a  people 
or  of  the  world.  Their  mission  is  not  to  promote 
exchanges,  to  induce  people  to  buy  or  sell.  It  is  to 
teach  science,  history  and  art,  and  the  economics  of 
human  life.  They  are  records  of  achievements,  not  of 
promises  to  be  fulfilled.  They  are  not  militant,  but 
triumphant. 

Many  of  them  were  prepared  especially  for  exposi- 
tion uses,  and  their  fitness  for  purposes  of  instruction 

(190J 


*! 

i — i 

H 
O 

o 

F 

d 

a 


The  Field  Columbian  Museum.  191 

remains  unimpaired  long  after  the  occasion  which 
called  for  their  production  has  passed  away.  No  small 
part  of  the  value  of  their  exhibits  comes  from  their 
aggregation,  and  from  the  skill  which  has  added  to 
their  efficiency  by  accurate  classification  and  scientific 
arrangement.  Every  student  knows,  and  every  visitor 
sees  that  great  loss  would  follow  the  distribution  of 
material  gathered  from  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe 
at  an  unstinted  outlay  of  thought,  labor  and  capital, 
expended  upon  a  universal  international  exposition. 

These  facts  were  patent  to  all  those  whose  wisdom 
conceived  and  whose  energy  promoted  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition,  held  in  Chicago  in  1893.  It  was 
well  understood  that  other  opportunities  would  develop 
when  the  Exposition  had  finished  its  course.  It  was, 
however,  natural  that,  in  the  earlier  days  of  the  enter- 
prise, interest  should  be  concentrated  upon  questions 
which  bore  upon  the  making  of  the  Exposition,  even  to 
the  exclusion  of  others  which  concerned  the  gathering 
of  the  aftermath. 

If  the  illusion  exists  in  any  mind  that  the  idea  of  a 
museum  was  suddenly  born  or  quickly  realized,  it  should 
at  once  be  dispelled,  for  the  project  was  seriously  con- 
sidered as  early  as  1890.  At  various  times  and  by 
different  persons  it  was  discussed  in  public  and  in 
private  with  more  or  less  definiteness  of  purpose.  The 
first  public  expression  upon  the  subject  is  believed  to 
have  been  made  in  a  communication  from  Prof.  Freder- 
ick W.  Putnam,  of  the  Peabody  Archaeological  museum, 
at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  printed  in  the  Chicago  Tribune 
in  May,  1890.  On  two  occasions,  in  the  same  year, 
Professor  Putnam,  whose  position  and  experience  gave 
weight  to  his  utterances,  spoke  in  favor  of  a  museum, 
and  in  November,  1891,  upon  the  invitation  of  the  Hon. 
William  T.  Baker,  he  addressed  the  Commercial  club 
upon  this  subject. 

In  April,  1891,  Mr.  George   Brown   Goode,  of  the 

National  museum,  at  Washington,  in  conversation  with 


192  The  Field  Columbian  Museum. 

Mr.  James  W.  Ellsworth,  a  member  of  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  Columbian  Exposition,  recommended 
the  immediate  appointment  of  a  committee  to  foster  a 
museum  organization.  From  the  date  of  the  interview 
with  Professor  Goode,  Mr.  Ellsworth  became  an  active 
advocate  of  a  museum,  as  the  outgrowth  of  the  Expo- 
sition. At  that  time  he  was  a  member  of  the  committee 
of  foreign  affairs  of  the  Exposition  Directory.  Presi- 
dent Baker  was  the  chairman  of  this  committee,  and 
with  Mr.  Ryerson,  Mr.  Lefens,  Mr.  Higinbotham  and 
others  early  enlisted  in  this  work  of  promotion.  In  out- 
lining the  foreign  work,  for  which  appropriations  were 
frequently  sought  from  the  directory,  this  committee 
constantly  kept  in  view  the  ultimate  establishment  of 
a  museum. 

This  purpose  was  especially  indicated  by  purchases 
made  abroad  for  the  equipment  of  the  archaeological 
and  transportation  departments.  Mr.  William  Eleroy 
Curtis,  of  Washington,  D.  C. ,  was  commissioned  to  make 
an  exhaustive  collection  of  documents,  paintings  and 
other  matter  commemorative  of  the  discovery  of  the 
western  continent  by  Columbus.  His  labors  resulted 
in  the  construction  of  a  building  representative  of  the 
ancient  convent  of  La  Rabida,  and  the  filling  it  with  a 
remarkable  and  unique  collection  of  historical  material, 
gathered  in  Europe,  the  West  Indies  and  South  America. 
The  reception  of  these  articles,  on  their  arrival,  caused 
a  difficulty  with  the  treasury  department  at  Washing- 
ton. The  government  had  no  authority  to  import  them 
free  of  duty,  and  could  not  permit  their  entry  under 
the  general  exemption  law  that  had  been  passed  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Exposition,  unless  they  were  sent  at 
once  from  the  port  of  entry  to  Chicago  in  bond.  This 
disposition  of  the  articles  was  not  practicable,  because 
no  place  had  yet  been  provided  at  Chicago  which  could 
be  accepted  as  a  bonded  warehouse.  Accordingly  an 
organization  was  effected  at  Washington,  under  the 
style  of  the  Columbian  Historical  Association,  to  take 


The  Field  Columbian  Museum.  193 

advantage  of  the  general  provisions  of  the  law  autho- 
rizing the  free  admission  of  goods  imported  for  the  use 
of  scientific  societies.  Of  this  association  Professor 
Putnam  was  elected  president;  Professor  Wilson,  of 
the  Smithsonian  Institute,  vice-president;  William  E. 
Curtis,  of  the  Latin- American  Bureau  of  the  Exposi- 
tion, secretary  and  treasurer.  Members  of  the  direc- 
tory of  the  Exposition  contributed,  personally,  a  con- 
siderable sum  of  money  to  provide  the  association  with 
funds,  and  the  money  thus  raised  was  unquestionably 
the  first  expended  in  the  interest  of  the  museum.  The 
general  expenses  of  the  Columbian  Historical  Associa- 
tion were  paid  from  the  government  appropriation  for 
the  department  of  state. 

About  the  time  of  the  formation  of  this  important 
auxiliary,  Representative  Robert  McMurdy,  of  the 
Hyde  Park  election  district,  introduced,  in  the  Illinois 
state  legislature,  a  bill  providing  for  the  establishment 
of  museums  in  public  parks,  and  stipulating  the  con- 
ditions and  methods  of  their  administration.  The 
measure  was  popular,  and  became  a  law  in  June,  1892. 
Later  in  the  year,  through  the  instrumentality  of  Robert 
McMurdy,  Samuel  C.  Eastman  and  Francis  A.  Riddle, 
the  question  of  accepting  the  provisions  of  this  law 
was  submitted  to  the  people  of  the  three  park  districts 
of  Chicago,  and  the  vote  thereupon  was  almost  unani- 
mously in  the  affirmative. 

The  active  agitation  of  the  museum  idea  was  renewed 
by  a  letter  published  by  S.  C.  Eastman  in  the  Tribune 
in  July,  1893,  followed  by  a  series  of  .strong  editorials 
in  the  Herald.  All  the  Chicago  journals  were  also 
zealous  friends  of  the  museum,  and  in  every  way  stim- 
ulated public  interest  in  this  cause.  As  a  result  of  this 
public  discussion  and  of  numerous  private  consulta- 
tions, James  W.  Scott  introduced,  at  a  meeting  of  the 
directors  of  the  Exposition,  a  resolution  providing  for 
the  appointment  of  a  committee  of  three  to  devise  a 
method  of  confirming  public  sentiment,  to  this  end, 


194  The  Field  Columbian  Museum. 

through  an  organization  of  its  citizens.  This  com- 
mittee, consisting  of  George  R.  Davis,  Harlow  N. 
Higinbotham  and  James  W.  Scott,  was  appointed 
August  11,  1893.  It  promptly  issued  a  circular  calling 
a  meeting  of  public  spirited  citizens,  to  be  held  at  the 
Administration  building  of  the  Exposition,  "to  adopt 
measures  in  immediate  aid  of  the  project  to  establish 
in  Chicago  a  great  museum  that  shall  be  a  fitting 
memorial  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  and  a 
permanent  advantage  and  honor  to  the  city." 

Accordingly,  on  the  evening  of  August  17,  1893,  a 
public  meeting,  attended  by  about  a  hundred  of  the 
prominent  citizens  of  Chicago,  was  held  in  the  office  of 
the  director  general  in  the  Exposition  grounds.  Direc- 
tor General  Davis  presided,  and  S.  C.  Eastman  acted  as 
secretary.  The  first  proposition  was  to  enlarge  the 
scope  of  the  Columbian  Historical  Association.  This 
was  opposed  on  the  ground  that  it  was  incorporated  in 
Washington.  The  second  suggestion  was  to  operate 
under  the  charter  of  the  Academy  of  Sciences  in  the 
city  of  Chicago.  This  was  opposed,  especially  by  Mr. 
Higinbotham,  who  spoke  very  earnestly  in  favor  of  a 
new  and  strong  organization,  independent  of  educa- 
tional institutions,  locality,  creed  or  calling,  strong 
enough  to  stand  alone,  and  large  enough  to  take  in 
everything.  This,  suiting  the  temper  of  the  meeting, 
prevailed,  and  George  E.  Adams,  Emil  G.  Hirsch,  John 
A.  Roche,  Carter  H.  Harrison,  Samuel  C.  Eastman,  A. 
C.  Bartlett,  Alexander  C.  McClurg,  Robert  McMurdy 
and  C.  Fitzsimons  were  appointed  as  a  committee  to 
take  the  steps  necessary  to  incorporate  a  museum. 

Mr.  McClurg  afterward  withdrew,  and  Edward  E. 
Ayer  was  appointed  in  his  place.  At  the  same  meeting 
the  director  general  and  the  chiefs  of  the  departments 
of  the  Exposition  were  requested  to  organize  for  the 
solicitation  of  contributions  of  exhibits. 

Up  to  this  time  various  names  had  been  suggested 
for  the  museum:  The  Museum  of  Antiquities,  Columbus 


The  Field  Columbian  Museum.  195 

Memorial  Museum,  World's  Exposition  Memorial  Mus- 
eum, Columbus  Museum  of  America,  Chicago  Colum- 
bian Museum,  etc.  August  21  the  citizens'  committee, 
above  referred  to,  in  preparing  their  application  for 
articles  of  incorporation,  adopted  as  a  name:  "The 
Columbian  Museum  of  Chicago."  At  this  same  time 
names  of  incorporators  were  selected  to  the  number  of 
about  sixty-five,  and  of  trustees,  of  which  the  following 
is  the  list : 

Charles  B.  Farwell,  John  C.  Black,  Frank  W.  Gun- 
saulus,  George  E.  Adams,  Matthew  C.  Bullock,  Emil 
G.  Hirsch,  Edward  E.  Ayer,  Daniel  H.  Burnham, 
Charles  L.  Hutchinson,  Owen  F.  Aldis,  George  R. 
Davis,  John  A.  Roche,  Allison  V.  Armour,  James  W. 
Ellsworth,  Edwin  Walker. 

The  application  for  a  charter  was  forwarded  to 
Springfield,  September  16. 

Robert  McMurdy,  of  this  committee,  prepared  and 
sent  to  the  Illinois  delegates  in  congress  a  joint  resolu- 
tion instructing  the  treasury  department  to  admit  free 
of  duty  all  goods  intended  for  museums  or  educational 
institutions.  The  resolution  was  promptly  passed  the 
following  week. 

The  director  general  and  chiefs  of  departments  met 
September  4  to  outline  their  work  on  the  grounds,  and 
appointed  an  executive  committee  to  prosecute  the 
canvass  for  exhibits  for  the  museum.  Of  this  com- 
mittee the  director  general  was  chairman,  Prof.  Fred- 
erick W.  Putnam,  vice-chairman;  S.  C.  Eastman, 
secretary,  and  Frederick  J.  V.  Skiff,  William  E.  Cur- 
tis and  Selim  H.  Peabody  the  other  members.  At  a 
subsequent  meeting  Mr.  Curtis  withdrew,  and  Willard 
A.  Smith  was  appointed  in  his  place.  The  executive 
committee  took  up  actively  the  work  assigned  to  it; 
the  zeal  of  the  chiefs,  in  this  behalf,  was  so  great  as  to 
interfere  seriously  with  their  duties  as  Exposition 
officials,  but  the  sentiment  was  so  unanimous,  and  the 
interest  in  the  projected  museum  so  intense,  that 


196  The  Field  Columbian  Museum. 

encouragement  was  nowhere  lacking  to  do  anything 
deemed  necessary  to  aid  the  cause.  Letters  were  writ- 
ten and  sent  in  every  direction,  circulars  were  dis- 
patched everywhere,  portions  of  the  grounds  were 
made  into  districts  and  personal  appeals  were  made  by 
the  officers  and  attaches  of  every  department  of  the 
Exposition.  Meetings  of  the  executive  committee 
were  held  frequently,  and  members  of  the  committee 
were  in  constant  communication  with  the  trustees  of 
the  new  museum  corporation.  Meanwhile,  the  cor- 
poration had  organized,  by  the  election  of  Edwin  Wal- 
ker, chairman;  S.  C.  Eastman,  secretary,  and  the 
appointment  of  committees  on  finance,  by-laws  and 
exhibits. 

The  finance  committee — Messrs.  Ayer,  Adams,  Ells- 
worth and  Black — began  at  once  the  important  and 
delicate  task  of  securing  the  funds  necessary  to  endow 
the  museum,  or,  at  least,  in  some  measure  to  guarantee 
that,  eventually,  funds  would  be  forthcoming,  suffi- 
cient to  justify  the  contributions  of  exhibits  that  were 
being  solicited.  As  the  middle  of  October  approached 
nothing  tangible  in  the  shape  of  endowment  had 
resulted  from  the  efforts  of  the  finance  committee,  and 
a  period  of  discouragement  came  upon  many  of  those 
at  work  for  the  museum.  Up  to  this  time  the  only 
available  funds  had  been  advanced  by  individual  mem- 
bers of  the  committee.  Nothing  but  the  faith  and  devo- 
tion and  courage  of  a  few  men  prevented  the  disinte- 
gration of  the  preliminary  organization  and  the  regret- 
ful abandonment  of  the  enterprise.  In  this  dilemma 
Marshall  Field  stepped  into  the  arena  and  surprised 
the  friends  of  the  museum  and  the  community  by  his 
offer  of  $1,000,000  if  half  as  much  more  could  be 
raised  from  other  sources.  This  amount  was  soon 
raised,  George  M.  Pullman  and  Harlow  N.  Higinbotham 
each  contributing  $100,000,  Mrs.  Mary  D.  Sturges, 
of  Lake  Geneva,  $50,000,  and  Edward  E.  Ayer  giving 
his  anthropological  collection,  valued  at  $100,000. 


MARSHALL   FIELD. 


The  Field  Columbian  Museum.  197 

Many  others  made  donations  of  lesser  amounts,  whose 
names  have  been  published  in  the  reports  of  the  mu- 
seum and  whose  influence  was  appreciated. 

Upon  this  assurance  of  financial  security  every  cloud 
of  discouragement  vanished.  Confidence  in  the  suc- 
cess and  permanence  of  the  museum  was  renewed.  A 
spirit  of  emulation  was  aroused  among  exhibitors, 
American  individuals  and  corporations,  and  especially 
in  foreign  and  state  commissions,  and  contributions 
were  enlarged  upon  the  scale  of  the  endowment.  The 
many  valuable  department  collections  that  had  been  in 
danger  of  ruinous  distribution,  at  once  became  the 
unquestioned  property  of  the  museum,  and,  by  common 
agreement,  the  different  educational  -institutions  dis- 
continued their  efforts  to  secure  contributions  in  their 
own  behalf,  and  united  in  working  for  the  museum. 

In  the  Evening  Post  of  September  14,  A.  W.  Manning, 
writing  upon  the  supposition  that  the  Exposition  would 
declare  a  dividend  upon  its  capital  stock,  suggested 
that  the  holders  of  such  stock  contribute  the  same  to 
the  museum.  November  1  the  finance  committee  issued 
a  circular  to  stockholders  soliciting  donations,  the  first 
to  respond  being  L.  C.  Stebbins  with  fifty  shares.  The 
stock  donations  have  amounted  to  more  than  $1,500,000, 
upon  which  a  dividend  of  10  per  cent  has  been  received. 

During  the  month  of  November  the  museum  corpora- 
tion appointed  Ralph  Metcalf  as  its  representative  on 
the  Exposition  grounds,  and  this  gentleman  opened 
offices  in  the  then  partly  deserted  Administration  build- 
ing, and  co-operated  actively  with  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  chiefs.  The  museum  committee  on  exhibits, 
consisting  of  Messrs.  Adams,  Ayer  and  Ellsworth,  made 
quite  extensive  purchases  shortly  after  the  close  of  the 
Exposition,  including  the  collections  from  Paraguay, 
Peru,  Java,  Samoa  and  the  Hagenbeck  material.  The 
first  large  purchase  made  was  that  of  the  Ward  collec- 
tion of  natural  history,  for  which  $95,000  was  paid. 


198  The  Field  Columbian  Museum. 

On  November  18  it  was  formally  determined  to  mass 
the  donations  of  exhibits  in  Fine  Arts  hall.  With  this 
end  in  view,  all  the  committees  interested  in  the  articles, 
collections  or  exhibits,  either  donated  or  purchased,  con- 
centrated their  efforts  preparatory  to  a  general  removal. 
On  December  7  Frederick  J.  V.  Skiff,  chief  of  the 
department  of  mines  and  mining"  of  the  Exposition, 
accepted  temporary  charge  of  affairs.  With  him  a 
number  of  gentlemen,  including  Edward  E.  Ayer,  James 
W.  Ellsworth,  Prof.  T.  C.  Chamberlain,  of  the  Chicago 
University,  and  Professor  Putnam  met  in  Fine  Arts 
hall,  and  determined  in  a  rough  way  the  preliminary 
installation  plan  of  the  museum.  About  4  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  tHe  first  load  of  material  for  the  museum 
was  placed  under  the  roof  of  that  building. 

From  this  general  account  of  what  transpired  from 
the  initiation  of  a  movement  for  a  museum,  up  to  the 
beginning  of  the  work  of  installation,  it  will  be  seen 
that,  while  few  great  public  acts  and  little  unified  labor 
were  apparent,  so  many  men,  each  in  his  own  field,  and 
largely  by  his  own  volition,  were  sincerely  enlisted  in 
the  movement,  that  there  was  a  generous  and  energetic 
co-operation  -  in  gathering  material,  in  making  pur- 
chases and  securing  funds.  Thus  the  growth  of  the 
museum  was  contemporaneous  with  the  progress  of  the 
Exposition. 

Now  began  the  task  of  gathering  the  vast  amount  of 
material  from  every  part  and  corner,  every  stretch  and 
recess  of  the  vast  area  of  the  Exposition  grounds,  from 
the  Midway  Plaisance,  from  the  Wooded  island,  from 
the  Forestry  building  to  the  Fisheries  building.  Hun- 
dreds upon  hundreds  of  tons  of  exhibits,  collections 
and  objects  of  every  character,  whether  more  or  less 
desirable,  were  gathered  under  the  broad  shelter  of  the 
Fine  Arts  building.  Then  began  selection,  arrange- 
ment, re-arrangement,  alteration  and  elaboration. 
Gradually,  hall  by  hall,  the  building  was  emptied  of  the 
exhibits  for  whose  display  it  was  originally  erected, 


The  Field  Columbian  Museum.  199 

and  as  the  objects  of  art  departed,  a  mass  of  material 
poured  in,  heterogeneous  in  character  and  immense  in 
extent,  objects  from  the  remotest  lands  and  from  the 
most  diversified  climes.  Out  of  these  began  to  grow  a 
sequential  and  systematic  exposition  of  wonderful  and 
instructive  objects  gathered  from  every  quarter  of  the 
globe. 

A  temporary  allotment  of  space  permitted  at  first 
but  a  rough  classification.  The  winter  was  consumed 
in  dividing,  determining  and  listing  the  material  that 
had  been  received.  The  many  collections,  carefully 
and  judiciously  purchased  by  the  trustees  and  by  the 
department  chiefs  furnished  a  broad  foundation  upon 
which  a  correct  organization  could  be  made.  Gaps  in 
the  continuity  of  subjects  were  in  a  large  degree 
obviated,  so  that  at  an  early  day  from  one  end  of  the 
museum  to  the  other  could  be  traced,  almost  without  a 
break,  the  living  and  instructive  story  of  nature,  of 
man  and  of  his  works;  thus  presenting  features  which 
could  be  found  nowhere  else  in  the  world. 

On  January  3,  1894,  the  board  of  trustees  was  re- 
organized, and  the  following  persons  constituted 
members :  Harlow  N.  Higinbotham,  Edward  E.  Ayer, 
Norman  B.  Ream,  Norman  Williams,  George  E.  Adams, 
Edwin  Walker,  Owen  F.  Aldis,  Martin  A.  Ryerson, 
Huntington  W.  Jackson,  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  Watson 
F.  Blair,  George  Manierre,  William  J.  Chalmers,  George 
R.  Davis,  Arthur  B.  Jones. 

Edward  E.  Ayer  was  elected  president,  Martin  A. 
Ryerson,  vice-president,  Ralph  Metcalf,  secretary  (who 
afterward  resigned,  and  was  succeeded  by  George 
Manierre),  and  Byron  L.  Smith,  treasurer.  Harlow  N. 
Higinbotham  was  made  chairman  of  the  executive 
committee,  and  Frederick  J.  V.  Skiff  was  chosen 
director-in-chief. 

May  1, 1894,  the  installation  of  the  museum  was  sub- 
stantially finished,  if  such  a  process  can  ever  be  deemed 
finished.  On  the  21st,  by  a  unanimous  vote,  the  trust- 


200  The  Field  Columbian  Museum. 

ees    decided    to    name   the    institution    "  The    Field 
Columbian  Museum." 

The  museum  was  dedicated  June  2, 1894,  with  appro- 
priate ceremonies. 

The  building  in  which  the  collections  of  the  museum 
are  now  installed  was  erected  to  contain  the  exhibits 
of  fine  arts  at  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition.  It 
occupies  a  central  position  in  the  northern  area  of 
Jackson  park;  and  its  southern  facade  overlooks  a 
sheet  of  water  called  the  North  pond.  The  main  struc- 
ture consists  of  two  naves  crossing  centrally,  100  feet 
wide,  70  feet  high,  and  respectively  500  and  350  feet 
long,  the  naves  of  which  are  surrounded  by  galleries. 
Their  intersection  is  crowned  by  a  dome  which  reaches 
a  height  of  125  feet.  The  four  angular  spaces,  formed 
by  the  naves,  are  occupied  by  structures  of  a  little  less 
altitude,  filling  out  the  rectangle  of  the  axis  of  the 
naves.  At  a  little  distance  from  each  of  the  northern 
angles  stands  an  annex,  200  by  120  feet,  connected  to 
the  main  building  by  a  corridor. 

The  total  floor  area  of  the  buildings  is  about  six 
acres,  divided  into  eighty  halls,  with  rooms  for  studios, 
laboratories  and  storerooms.  Light  in  exhibition 
rooms  is  obtained  wholly  from  above.  The  walls  are 
of  brick  covered  with  staff,  having  the  effect  of  white 
marble  and  giving  to  the  broad  structure  an  appear- 
ance of  solidity  and  durability.  It  was  designed  by 
Charles  B.  Atwood,  after  a  Spanish  model  in  the  Grecian 
Ionic  style.  By  many  it  was  deemed  the  most  sym- 
metrical, harmonious  and  completely  beautiful  of  all 
the  magnificent  structures  which  gave  to  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  its  renown  as  an  unrivaled 
architectural  dream. 

The  great  museums  of  the  world  have  usually  been 
developed  by  a  steady  growth,  gathering  impetus 
slowly  during  long  periods  of  time.  Never  before  has 
such  an  institution  sprung  so  suddenly  into  a  full  and 
vigorous  existence.  Within  a  few  weeks  the  museum 


The  Field  Columbian  Museum.  201 

became  the  beneficiary  of  a  princely  donation  of  $1,500,- 
000,  of  a  spacious  edifice  erected  for  exposition  pur- 
poses and  emptied  of  one  class  of  exhibits  just  when  it 
was  needed  to  shelter  another,  and  the  residuary  lega- 
tee of  the  most  extensive  and  complete  Exposition  yet 
gathered  in  the  history  of  the  world.  In  one  brief 
month  were  united  exhibits,  building  and  funds,  each 
entirely  insufficient  by  itself,  but  each  the  binding  link 
which  united  the  other  two  into  a  completely  organized 
and  efficient  whole. 

The  great  commercial  exhibits  were  soon  distributed 
and  returned  to  the  sources  whence  they  had  been  col- 
lected. Magnificent  they  were,  grand,  costly,  power- 
ful, but  in  every  case  made  for  a  purpose,  to  do  some- 
thing, and  they  merely  paused  by  the  way  to  show  in 
themselves  the  world's  progress  in  the  art  of  subduing 
herself.  The  great  throbbing  engines,  the  luminifer- 
ous  dynamos,  the  queenly  locomotives,  each  followed 
by  her  train  of  palaces,  the  tremendous  enginery  of 
'  war,  terrible  in  silence,  the  monster  tube,  peering  with 
Cyclopean  eye  into  the  remotest  heavens;  and  the 
myriad  other  exhibits  of  which  those  named  were  only 
the  more  notable  types,  all  had  enjoyed  a  jubilee  rest, 
and  thenceforth  were  to  be  chained  down  to  some  fitting 
work  of  daily  recurrence.  Only  when  they  are  worn 
out,  or  are  superseded  by  other  structures  or  inven- 
tions, illustrative  of  yet  further  progress,  when  they 
have  come  to  show  to  a  new  generation  of  men  what 
their  forefathers  knew  and  achieved,  will  these  objects 
find  a  place  as  landmarks  of  the  past. 

Few  exhibits  came  from  the  departments  of  machin- 
ery or  electricity  ;  from  modern  transportation  or  man- 
ufactures; from  fine  arts,  the  exhibits  of  which  were 
mostly  loaned  or  for  sale  ;  from  education,  out  of  which 
grew  numerous  pedagogical  collections  ;  nor  from  hor- 
ticulture, her  exhibits  being  mostly  of  a  perishable 
nature,  as  were  many  of  those  in  agriculture. 


202  The  Field  Columbian  Museum. 

In  certain  directions  funds  had  been  expended  liber- 
ally by  private  donors,  by  the  Exposition  authorities, 
and  by  the  government  of  the  United  States,  for  the 
collection  and  preparation  of  exhibits  to  fill  some  place 
in  the  Exposition,  and  by  these  means  important  results 
had  been  secured.  All  such  collections  naturally 
gravitated  to  the  Field  Columbian  Museum. 

The  department  of  agriculture,  of  which  William  I. 
Buchanan  was  chief,  was  an  immense  storehouse 
crowded  with  museum  material.  The  commissioners  of 
foreign  countries,  and  those  representing  the  states  of 
the  Union,  had  without  exception  exploited  exhibits  of 
the  agricultural  resources  of  their  several  countries  ; 
and  all  were  delighted  at  the  prospect  of  keeping 
together  in  Chicago  a  fitting  presentation  of  the  col- 
lection which  had  cost  them  so  much  effort  and  thought. 
From  Russia,  Japan,  Corea,  Ceylon,  Siam  and  various 
parts  of  India,  from  Mexico,  Central  America  and  all 
the  states  of  South  America  came  complete  sets  of 
material,  illustrating  the  great  staples  that  form  the 
most  important  factors  of  the  world's  commerce. 

Particularly  true  was  this  of  the  collections  of  tim- 
bers and  other  forest  products  gathered  in  the  Forestry 
building.  It  is  no  extravagant  assertion  to  claim  that 
never  have  the  world's  stores  of  beautiful  and  durable 
woods,  adapted  to  the  uses  of  human  needs  and  genius, 
and  of  fruits,  gums,  resins  and  all  similar  forest  prod- 
ucts been  found  in  such  generous  abundance  as  in  the 
stream  flowing  from  the  Forestry  building  to  the  Field 
museum.  Nor  was  the  museum  grasping  of  the  wealth 
thus  offered  to  it.  Machinery  driven  by  electric  power 
was  installed,  and  the  material  was  divided  and  gener- 
ously distributed  to  many  other  institutions  of  like  pur- 
poses of  usefulness.  Any  enumeration  of  even  the 
principal  collections  thus  utilized  would  become  tedious. 
The  assemblage  of  the  material  was  skillfully  conducted 
by  Dr.  Charles  F.  Millspaugh,  since  the  curator  of  bot- 
any in  the  museum. 


The  Field  Columbian  Museum.  203 

The  account  of  the  collections  in  this  department 
should  not  omit  to  mention  the  loan  from  the  United 
States  department  of  agriculture  of  a  complete  collec- 
tion of  tobaccos,  cottons,  fiber  plants,  Alaskan  woods 
and  a  series  of  forest  trees. 

These  collections  from  the  department  of  agriculture 
furnish  the  museum  with  an  extensive  and  varied  bo- 
tanical equipment,  representing  a  wide  geographical 
distribution. 

The  department  of  mines,  mining  and  metallurgy 
has,  in  addition  to  the  exhibits  that  spontaneously  grav- 
itated thereto,  three  special  exhibits,  promoted  by  its 
own  agents  from  funds  provided  by  the  Exposition 
directory.  These  exhibits  are  unique  in  character, 
broad  in  design  and  remarkably  complete  in  execution. 

The  first  is  an  exhaustive  account  of  the  mineral 
combustibles  of  the  United  States.  Its  foundation 
consists  of  a  map  of  the  country,  prepared  upon  a  scale 
of  ten  miles  to  the  inch,  and  laid  horizontally  upon 
plate  glass.  By  this  map  is  shown,  first,  the  general 
physical  aspects  of  the  country,  its  mountains,  plains, 
rivers,  etc. ;  second,  the  positions  and  extent  of  all 
fields  of  coal  of  economic  value,  anthracite,  semi-bitu- 
minous, bituminous  and  lignite,  shown  by  areas  colored 
black;  third,  the  markets  supplied  by  these  coal  fields, 
and  the  great  lines  of  transportation  by  which  their 
products  are  distributed. 

Second,  a  collection  of  coals,  lignites  and  cokes  was 
prepared,  representing  every  coal  producing  county  in 
the  country. 

Third,  a  series  of  coal  samples  was  shown  in  wall 
cases  surrounding  the  plate  glass  map,  each  being  num- 
bered to  correspond  with  numbers  placed  on  the  map. 
With  each  sample  are  statistics  as  to  quality  of  coal, 
obtained  by  careful  chemical  analysis,  thickness  of 
seam,  output  of  mine,  etc. 

The  scheme  was  executed  with  satisfactory  results, 
and  conveys  a  comprehensive  account  of  the  geographic 


204  The  Field  Columbian  Museum. 

distribution  and  characteristics  of  the  economic  mineral. 
The  map  illustrates  many  interesting1  facts  concerning 
the  relations  of  the  coal  fields  to  each  other,  to  lines  of 
transportation  and  distribution,  to  the  great  centers  of 
industry,  and  to  their  bearing  on  the  future  develop- 
ment of  new  manufacturing  or  industrial  regions.  The 
samples  and  their  accompanying  data  were  obtained  at 
the  cost  of  much  labor  and  application.  Specially  pre- 
pared blanks  were  sent  to  all  the  mine  owners  of  the 
country,  and  the  data  returned  were  carefully  compiled 
and  edited.  The  samples  were  trimmed  to  cubes  of 
uniform  dimensions,  and  arranged  by  states,  so  that 
coals  of  any  locality  could  be  readily  found.  The  col- 
lection is  similarly  installed  in  the  halls  of  the  museum. 

The  second  collection  included  the  building  and 
ornamental  stones  of  the  United  States.  A  special  cir- 
cular, distributed  among  quarry  men  in  the  principal 
stone  producing  regions,  explained  the  scope  of  the 
proposed  exhibit,  and  described  the  method  in  which 
the  specimens  should  be  prepared.  They  were  to  be 
trimmed  in  4-inch  cubes,  showing  the  natural  fracture 
and  the  different  varieties  of  dressing,  as  sawn,  planed, 
ribbed,  tooled  and  polished.  Most  of  the  samples  came 
as  contributions;  some  were  loaned.  Special  data  were 
obtained  for  the  samples,  showing  the  location  of 
quarry,  the  character  of  the  stone,  the  trend  of  strata, 
chemical  analysis,  and  physical  test  as  to  crushing  load, 
resistance  against  frost,  etc.  Aseries  of  transparencies, 
illustrating,  on  a  large  scale,  the  microscopic  structure 
of  typical  stone  specimens,  was  prepared  especially  for 
this  exhibit  by  George  P.  Merrill,  of  the  National 
museum  at  Washington,  author  of  a  work  on  the  build- 
ing and  ornamental  stones  of  the  United  States.  This 
collection  of  building  stones  is  now  in  possession  of  the 
Field  Columbian  Museum. 

The  third  of  these  special  collections  presents  an 
exhibit  of  the  metallurgy  of  the  precious  and  base 
metals,  comprising  separate  monographic  exhibits  of 


The  Field  Columbian  Museum.  205 

each  of  the  metals  of  economic  importance,  illustrating 
the  progress  of  the  metal  from  the  ore  as  it  left  the 
mine  to  the  production  of  various  manufactured  articles 
from  the  simple  metal  and  from  its  various  alloys. 

The  steps  represented  were: 

First.  — Concentration  samples,  or  mine  metallurgy, 
showing  the  ores  after  the  various  steps  of  stamping, 
milling,  separating,  etc. 

Second. — Reduction  samples,  showing  the  transfor- 
mations produced  by  chemical  processes,  by  roasting, 
smelting,  etc. 

Third. — Application  samples,  showing  the  combina- 
tion of  metals  in  alloys  adapted  to  various  uses  in  the 
arts. 

Fourth. — Samples  showing  the  results  of  test  treat- 
ments, made  to  determine  malleability  or  ductility  or 
power  to  resist,  tension,  compression,  torsion,  etc., 
required  to  meet  the  severe  demands  of  modern  engi- 
neering. 

The  scheme  was  completed  by  a  collection  of  dia- 
grams of  metallurgical  processes,  and  of  pictures  and 
models  of  the  appliances  in  actual  use.  The  collections 
were  both  contributed  and  loaned,  and  most  of  the 
owners  of  private  exhibits  cordially  donated  their 
material  to  the  museum. 

Mention  should  also  be  made  of  the  iron  and  steel 
exhibit  from  the  German  section,  of  Stumm  Bros,  and 
of  the  very  elaborate  and  complete  exhibit  of  petro- 
leum and  its  products  made  by  the  Standard  Oil  Co.,  of 
New  York. 

In  the  department  of  anthropology  had  been  col- 
lected extensive  exhibits  illustrative  of  the  archaeo- 
logy and  ethnology  of  America,  the  work  of  the  chief, 
Prof.  Frederick  W.  Putnam,  of  Harvard  university, 
and  a  large  corps  of  assistants,  conducted  with  energy 
for  two  or  three  years.  The  exhibit  was  originally 
planned  by  Professor  Putnam  with  the  purpose  of 
assembling  from  the  American  field — one  of  exceptional 


206  The  Field  Columbian  Museum. 

richness — a  vast  number  of  anthropological  objects 
representing  its  aboriginal  American  peoples.  He  had 
in  mind,  also,  the  value  such  collections  would  have 
for  permanent  exhibition,  and  this,  no  doubt,  furnished 
the  inspiration  which  led  him  to  hope  that  a  great 
anthropological  museum  might  be  established  ulti- 
mately in  Chicago. 

Special  collections  were  made  for  this  department, 
under  the  direction  of  Professor  Putnam,  by  com- 
missions sent  out  for  the  purpose,  or  by  collectors 
resident  in  the  field.  Agents  were  sent  to  the  Orinoco 
river,  to  Ecuador,  Bolivia,  Chili,  Peru,  Paraguay  and 
other  South  American  countries.  An  important  series 
of  casts  of  Central  American  ruins  was  obtained. 
Ethnological  material  was  sought  in  Mexico  and 
Southern  California,  and  from  the  rich  fields  of  Alaska. 
The  tribes  of  Indians  living  within  the  territory  of  the 
United  States  and  Canada  furnished  a  large  quota  of 
much  value.  The  rich  treasures  left  by  the,  so  called, 
mound  builders  in  Hopewell,  Ohio,  were  opened,  under 
the  direction  of  the  department,  especially  for  the  Ex- 
position, and  were  supplemented  by  others  from  New 
Jersey,  Michigan  and  Ohio. 

The  department  of  transportation  exhibits  was 
planned  with  a  view  of  showing,  not  only  the  most 
approved  methods  of  transportation  in  use  at  the 
present  time,  but  also  the  gradual  steps  by  which  the 
present  high  degree  of  perfection  has  been  attained. 

A  light  two-wheeled  vehicle,  believed  to  be  a 
Scythian  racing  chariot,  was  exhumed  from  an  Egyptian 
mummy  pit,  and  is  now  in  a  Florentine  museum.  The 
perfection  of  its  workmanship  is  remarkable,  and  cer- 
tainly indicates  that  the  historical  accounts  of  ancient 
vehicles  are  not  overdrawn.  In  the  museum  of  the  New 
York  Historical  Society  there  is  also  an  Egyptian  wheel. 
With  these  exceptions,  no  known  relics  are  in  existence. 
An  exact  replica  of  the  first  was  made  in  Florence,  and 
is  now  in  the  Field  Columbian  Museum.  From  the 


The  Field  Columbian  Museum.  207 

same  place  came,  also,  a  copy  of  a  child's  toy  boat,  found 
in  an  Etruscan  tomb.  Since  the  close  of  the  Exposi- 
tion a  boat  sufficiently  large  for  the  conveyance  of 
merchandise,  in  use  on  the  Nile  four  and  a  half  centu- 
ries before  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era,  has  been 
exhumed  from  an  Egyptian  tomb  above  the  pyramids 
some  distance  from  the  river,  and  is  now  one  of  the 
most  ancient  and  most  cherished  exhibits  in  the  Field 
Columbian  Museum. 

The  examples  named  are,  it  is  believed,  the  only 
remains  known  of  ancient  vehicles.  The  museums  of 
the  world  contain,  however,  numerous  specimens  of 
ancient  and  mediaeval  bits,  spurs,  etc.,  exhumed  from 
tombs  or  found  on  battle  fields,  some  of  which  were 
loaned  to  the  Exposition,  but  could  not  be  retained  for 
the  museum.. 

Among  the  most  interesting  of  existing  rude  forms 
of  transportation  were  those  of  the  American  continent. 
From  Alaska  came  canoes,  dog  sleds,  etc. ;  from  South 
America,  canoes,  donkeys,  llamas,  sedans  and  pack  out- 
fits for  men  and  beasts  ;  from  Mexico,  rude  carts,  mule 
litters,  saddlery,  etc. ;  from  Brazil,  aboriginal  canoes, 
rafts  and  jangadas.  A  valuable  collection  of  various 
water  craft,  sedan  chairs,  palanquins  and  models  illus- 
trating transportation  was  made  through  the  agency  of 
consuls  on  duty  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  Foreign 
governments  also  contributed  liberally  to  this  phase  of 
the  Exposition. 

The  railway  division  of  this  department  was  entirely 
novel  and  without  precedent.  Covering  as  it  did  a 
period  of  scarcely  a  century,  it  nevertheless  presented 
many  phases  of  the  development  of  this  form  of  trans- 
portation which  have  already  passed  into  oblivion,  and 
are  to  the  public  of  to-day  no  better  known  than  if  they 
had  existed  in  the  reigns  of  the  Pharaohs.  The  exhibit 
was  skillfully  planned  and  thoroughly  worked  out  at  very 
considerable  cost.  It  was  undertaken  in  time  to  save 
many  valuable  relics  which  soon  would  have  disap- 


208  The  Field  Columbian  Museum. 

peared.  Here  could  be  traced  the  successive  steps  in 
the  development  of  the  permanent  way,  from  a  tram- 
way of  rough  stones  to  a  perfectly  graded,  ballasted 
and  ironed  continuous  railway  track  ;  the  growth  of  the 
locomotive,  beginning  with  a  sealed  copper  kettle  and 
culminating  in  machines  of  the  swiftest  and  strongest  ; 
most  of  the  intermediate  steps  having  been  redeemed 
from  the  scrap  yards  of  the  older  railway  corporations  ; 
and  the  growth  of  the  railway  vehicle,  from  a  simple 
box,  that  would  carry  a  dozen  passengers,  to  the  pala- 
tial Pullman  of  latest  elegance  ;  cars  for  carrying 
cattle,  horses  and  fowls ;  for  climbing  mountains,  for 
working  in  forests  and  mines  ;  tank  cars  for  oil ;  mail 
cars ;  refrigerator  cars  for  fruits  and  fresh  meats ;  express 
cars  and  baggage  cars.  There  were  automatic  brakes, 
pneumatic  gates,  electric  block  signals ;  there  were 
time  cards,  tariff  lists,  way-bills,  tickets  and  passes. 

The  department  of  art  left  few  indices  of  its  own  suc- 
cess with  the  Field  Columbian  Museum,  for  the  reason 
that  the  plans  of  the  museum  did  not  provide  for 
development  in  that  direction,  and  because  what  of  art 
did  remain  found  a  more  fitting  home  at  the  Art  Insti- 
tute, an  organization  which  had  already  outgrown  its 
adolescence,  before  the  building  of  the  Exposition,  and 
which  in  various  ways  enjoyed  timely  and  substantial 
assistance  from  that  enterprise. 

In  the  decoration  of  its  stately  edifices  the  builders 
of  the  Exposition  used  freely  sculpture,  as  well  as  archi- 
tectural design.  All  the  great  buildings  were  a  Torned 
with  many  original  and  beautiful  objects  in  every  phase 
of  plastic  art.  Every  pinnacle  and  coign  of  vantage 
bore  its  nymph  or  its  hero,  its  guardian  angel  or  its 
group  of  sirens  or  Solons.  Many  of  the  statues  were  of 
gigantic  proportions,  made  so  purposely  because  they 
were  to  occupy  lofty  positions  at  a  distance  from  the 
eye  of  the  observer,  and  because  it  was  needful  that 
they  conform  to  the  grand  scale  of  the  buildings  they 
adorned.  Some  of  the  Exposition  statuary  was  removed 


The  Field  Columbian  Museum.  209 

to  other  places.     Most  of  the  pieces  perished  in  the 
final  conflagration. 

A  considerable  number  of  the  pieces  were  repro- 
duced in  dimensions  suited  to  near  .observation,  and  these 
are  gathered  in  the  central  rotunda  of  the  museum  build- 
ing. Although  not  cast  in  bronze  nor  cut  in  enduring 
marble,  but  molded  in  perishable  plaster,  these  statues 
deserve  to  be  carefully  preserved,  being  all  that  remains 
to  illustrate  the  exuberant  plastic  art  of  the  great 
Exposition.  They  include  the  Columbus  by  St.  Gaudens 
and  his  pupil;  the  Republic  by  French;  figures  by 
Bitter,  Martiny,  Kraus  and  Waagen,  and  animals  by 
Kemys,  French  and  Potter. 

The  contents  of  a  great  museum  arrange  themselves 
in  distinctly  recognized  groups,  which  are,  neverthe- 
less, differentiated  with  difficulty,  and  often  overlap 
each  other,  just  as  the  kingdoms  of  nature  constantly 
interlace.  A  single  criterion  divides  the  aggregation 
into  two  realms.  In  one  we  decipher  the  history  of 
nature ;  in  the  other  is  written  the  history  of  man.  In 
the  one  we  deal  with  a  series  of  natural  reactions. 
The  relations  of  cause  and  effect  are  multifarious,  yet 
relatively  simple,  and  everywhere  uniform.  In  the 
other  realm  a  series  of  relations  appears,  but  infinitely 
more  difficult  of  apprehension,  because  complicated  by 
motives,  impulses  and  ideas  not  subservient  to  laws  of 
like  simplicity  and  uniformity.  The  laws  of  nature 
never  vary ;  those  of  human  actions  are  infinitely  vari- 
ant and  divergent.  Water  became  solid  and  then  fluid 
in  the  remotest  geologic  ages  just  as  it  does  to-day. 
The  bee's  cell  always  conforms  to  a  constant  formula. 
Men's  dwellings,  ships  and  locomotives  vary  infinitely. 
They  who  refer  to  science  as  if  restricted  to  a  dis- 
cussion of  natural  phenomena  err  greatly;  a  subtler 
and  more  profound  scientia  discusses  the  more  infin- 
itely varied  phenomena  of  human  activities. 

The  fullest  conception  of  a  grand  museum  includes 
both  phases  of  these  contrasted  ideals.  The  bronzes 


210  The  Field  Columbian  Museum. 

from  Pompeii,  the  collections  of  ceramic  products,  the 
statuary  which  perpetuates  the  glories  of  the  Court  of 
Honor,  the  Columbian  relics,  all  belong-  on  the  historic 
side.  Their  proper  study  involves  the  highest  science. 

The  familiar  subdivision  of  nature's  products  as 
mineral,  vegetable  and  animal,  serves  to  indicate  to 
the  popular  view  the  principal  divisions  of  that  side  of 
the  museum  which  illustrates  natural  history  in  the 
departments  of  mineralogy,  geology,  botany,  palaeon- 
tology, zoology  and  anthropology.  In  each  of  these 
departments  the  museum  authorities  have  caused  foun- 
dations to  be  laid  with  a  broadly  liberal  and  apprecia- 
tive care.  The  collections  illustrate  the  facts  concern- 
ing the  form  of  the  earth's  crust  and  the  objects  found 
therein;  the  vegetables  which  thrive  upon  its  surface, 
and  the  animals  that  live,  directly  or  mediately,  upon 
the  vegetation. 

Mention  has  been  made  of  the  collections  in  the 
department  of  mineralogy,  illustrative  of  its  economic 
side,  in  decorative  and  building  stones,  coals,  petrol- 
eums and  metallic  ores.  The  decorative  stones,  marble, 
verde  antique,  alabaster  and  onyx  represent  many  no- 
table European  quarries.  They  are  cut  in  slabs  and 
polished.  Four-inch  cubes,  variously  wrought  and  sub- 
jected to  the  most  strenuous  practical  tests,  represent 
the  best  known  quarries  of  building  stones  in  the 
United  States.  The  petroleums  include  samples  from 
every  oil  well  in  the  United  States,  with  the  sands  from 
which  they  are  drawn,  accompanied  with  data  graphi- 
cally shown,  and  illustrations  of  the  processes  and 
products  of  refinement. 

A  remarkably  complete  collection  of  gems  and  pre- 
cious stones,  installed  in  Higinbotham  hall,  contains 
specimens  of  nearly  every  known  variety,  in  crystals, 
cleavages  or  rolled  grains,  and  in  the  finest  cut  exam- 
ples. Many  of  the  objects  are  of  world  wide  repute 
and  of  historical  interest,  diamonds,  sapphires,  aqua 
marines,  topazes,  etc.  The  examples  of  quartz  and 


The  Field  Columbian  Museum.  211 

quartz  cutting  are  not  surpassed,  and  are  accompanied 
with  cut  amethysts,  opals  and  moonstones.  There  is 
a  collection  of  cameos  and  intaglios,  fine  examples  of 
the  glyptic  art,  many  of  them  cut  as  long  ago  as  the 
year  500  A.  D.  Among  the  stones  used  are  red  jasper, 
carnelian,  onyx,  chalcedony,  sardonyx  and  smoky 
quartz. 

Installed  with  the  gems,  and  worthy  of  note  in  the 
same  connection,  is  the  very  complete  Tiffany  collec- 
tion of  ^India  jewelry.  Many  of  the  pieces  are  very 
old,  representing  the  jeweler's  handicraft  as  practiced 
in  India  for  more  than  2,000  years,  and  adapted  to  be 
worn  upon  various  parts  of  the  human  body.  This  col- 
lection contains : 

First. — Objects  made  from  unalloyed  gold,  set  with 
precious  stones,  and  embellished  with  richly  colored 
enamels.  These  jewels  were  worn  by  the  higher 
caste  only. 

Second. — Silver  jewels,  finely  wrought,  worn  by  the 
lower  castes. 

Third. — Base  metal  jewelry,  worn  by  the  lowest 
castes. 

The  precious  and  economic  metals  are  illustrated, 
from  the  forms  in  which  they  occur  in  nature,  whether 
as  native  metals  or  as  mineral  ores,  tractable  or  re- 
fractory, through  all  the  processes  by  which  the  metals 
are  reduced  and  prepared  for  economic  uses.  The  illus- 
trations include  models  of  the  mills  for  the  preparation 
of  ores,  smelters  for  their  reduction  and  machinery  for 
their  further  manufacture. 

Non- metallic  minerals  and  fictile  materials  are  rep- 
resented with  equal  thoroughness. 

The  purely  scientific  side  of  science  has  not  been 
neglected,  the  subdivisions  being  marked  by  notable 
examples,  crystalline  and  amorphous,  accompanied 
with  carefully  compiled  statements  of  their  crystallo- 
graphic  and  chemical  relations.  The  section  of  lithol- 
ogy  contains  more  than  15,000  specimens  of  the  stand- 


212  The  Field  Columbian  Museum. 

ard  size,  4x3x1  inch,  supplemented  with  a  large  num- 
ber of  polished  slabs. 

The  museum  contains  one  of  the  fullest  American 
collections  of  those  substances  of  extra- tellurian  origin 
known  as  aerolites,  aerosiderites,  etc.,  gathered  by  the 
earth  from  the  unreckoned  myriads  of  like  substances 
traversing  the  intersidereal  spaces. 

The  sections  of  structural  and  dynamic  geology 
demonstrate  by  diagrams  and  models  the  processes  of 
upheaval,  depression  and  erosion,  shaping  the  contours 
of  the  lands  and  the  outlines  of  the  seas,  as  those  pro- 
cesses are  now  operating  and  have  wrought  in  the  suc- 
cessive periods  of  the  world's  geologic  history. 

The  department  of  botany  is  one  of  the  foremost  in 
the  museum,  both  as  to  the  magnitude  of  its  collections 
and  the  thoroughness  of  its  organization.  It  occupies 
the  whole  of  the  wide  galleries  and  the  numerous  alcoves 
surrounding  the  four  main  courts  and  the  rotunda  of 
the  building.  For  light  and  convenience  of  arrange- 
ment the  conditions  could  hardly  be  improved. 

As  has  been  already  shown,  the  foundation  of  this 
department  was  the  immense  mass  of  valuable  material 
inherited  from  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition.  The 
same  cause  determined,  largely,  the  character  of  the 
collections.  Gathered  as  they  were  for  public  display, 
the  contributions  from  each  field  were  chosen  to  attract 
and  hold  the  attention  of  a  lay  observer  rather  than  of 
one  versed  in  the  intricacies  of  botanical  science. 
Hence  the  more  than  usual  prominence  given  to  ex- 
hibits of  an  economic  and  practical  character.  Hence 
the  showing  of  forestry  and  its  products,  of  fibers  and 
their  uses;  of  agricultural  staples,  as  cotton,  tobacco, 
hemp  and  all  cereal  grains;  of  teas,  coffees,  spices, 
gums,  resins,  oils,  tan  barks,  dye  stuffs  and  other 
things,  familiar  or  rare ;  the  product  of  field  and  forest, 
of  orchard  and  grove. 

After  the  mineral,  the  vegetable;  after  the  veg- 
etable, the  animal.  The  sequence  began  in  the  deep  seas, 


MONOGRAPH — NORTH   AMERICAN   FORESTRY. 


The  Field  Columbian  Museum.  213 

while  the  continents  were  yet  islands.  The  earth  is  one 
vast  sepulchre.  The  rocks  are  full  of  the  remains  of 
plants  and  animals,  of  which  even  the  races  were  long 
since  extinct.  The  student  of  organic  life  must  seek  his 
earlier  data  in  that  ancient  library,  whose  volumes, 
locked  in  the  rocks,  he  must  learn  first  to  open,  then  to 
decipher.  Of  some  volumes  the  editions  are  so  large 
that  any  museum,  even  any  private  collector,  may 
secure  a  representation,  as  of  trilobites  or  crinoids, 
fishes  or  fern  leaves,  limited  in  volume  only  by  the 
capacity  of  his  cases.  Of  other  forms  originals  are 
unique  ;  and  as  only  now  and  then  a  library  may  pos- 
sess an  original  Dante  or  Milton,  so  only  a  single 
museum  may  enjoy  a  glyptodon  or  a  dinotherium,  while 
the  others  must  be  content  with  casts.  Of  both 
originals  and  casts  the  Field  Columbian  Museum  has  a 
collection  arranged  stratigraphically,  in  which  the 
student  may  read,  as  from  a  book,  an  account  of  the 
progressive  characteristics  of  life,  from  the  earliest 
geological  eras  ;  for  the  realms  of  palaeontology  and  of 
zoology  are  separated  by  no  broader  line  than  that 
which  divides  yesterday  from  to-day.  The  bull  which 
was  mired  in  a  swamp,  last  week,  is  as  certainly  a  geolog- 
ical object  as  is  the  mastodon,  mired  in  the  same 
swamp,  perhaps  a  thousand  years  ago ;  or  the  titano- 
therium  which  perished  many  thousand  years  before 
that,  perhaps  in  a  similar  manner. 

The  plan  of  the  arrangement  of  the  palaeontology  is, 
first,  stratigraphical ;  second,  biological,  the  fossils  of 
each  epoch  being  placed  in  accordance  with  their  rank 
in  the  scale  of  being. 

The  departments  of  the  museum  which  have  received 
the  largest  accessions  since  its  opening  are  those  of 
zoology  and  anthropology.  Usually,  in  each  season 
several  expeditions  have  been  sent  into  the  field 
for  the  collection  of  material,  at  the  charge  of  the 
museum  management,  or  of  its  wealthy  friends,  under 
the  immediate  supervision  of  some  member  of  its  staff. 


214  The  Field  Columbian  Museum. 

These  excursions  have  varied  in  their  range  from  the 
regions  of  the  neighboring  states  to  those  as  remote  as 
Alaska  and  eastern  Africa.  Much  valuable  material 
has  been  secured  in  this  way  from  Yucatan  and  Mexico; 
from  the  Indians  in  the  mountain  parts  of  the  United 
States  and  upon  the  northwest  coast,  and  from  many 
nearer  regions.  The  most  important  expedition,  taking 
into  account  the  time  occupied,  the  distance  traversed 
or  the  results  secured,  was  that  made  to  eastern  and 
central  Africa  in  the  summer  of  1896,  by  Prof.  D.  G. 
Elliot,  curator  of  the  department  of  zoology.  Profes- 
sor Elliot  entered  Somali  Land,  in  eastern  Africa,  from 
the  coast,  extended  his  search  for  large  game  far  into 
the  interior,  and  returned  to  the  sea  coast  in  the  vicinity 
of  Aden.  The  proceeds  of  the  expedition  were  several 
hundred  skins  of  large  and  rare  mammals,  of  birds, 
reptiles,  etc.,  with  many  skeletons,  casts  and  other 
material  of  taxidermic  value. 

These  specimens,  with  many  others,  have  given 
opportunity  of  displaying  species  by  groups,  in  which 
appear  the  young  and  adult  of  both  sexes,  mounted  in 
the  positions  which  they  would  naturally  assume  in 
their  own  homes,  and  surrounded  by  their  usual  acces- 
sories. As  examples  of  such  groups  may  be  cited  musk 
oxen,  from  the  snows  of  northern  Greenland;  orang- 
utangs  and  proboscidean  monkeys,  playing  and  fight- 
ing amid  tropical  foliage;  wild  asses,  oryxes,  lesser 
koodoos,  Walter's  gazelles,  and  leopards,  in  African 
habitats;  guanacos,  from  South  America  and  panthers, 
from  the  Rocky  mountain  regions.  Besides  these 
groups  there  are  typical  specimens  of  nearly  every 
family  of  animals  known  to  science. 

The  group  of  ornithology  is  the  only  zoological  group 
which  has,  thus  far,  been  assigned  to  a  special  curator. 
The  system  of  arrangement  admits  of  the  isolation  of 
others  whenever  occasion  may  require.  In  this  group, 
as  in  others,  the  outline  of  classification  is  well  filled, 
while  the  accessions,  constantly  gathering,  readily  find 


Tlie  Field  Columbian  Museum.  215 

their  places.  Among  the  birds,  as  among1  the  mammals, 
a  large  beginning  has  been  made  in  the  preparation  of 
what  may  be  called  monographic  exhibits.  As  is  well 
known,  the  plumage  of  some  species  of  birds  varies 
greatly,  not  only  because  of  sex,  but  with  age,  season 
and  habitat.  A  complete  series,  which  it  may  take  many 
patient  years  to  acquire,  will  show  these  variations, 
together  with  the  nest,  often  only  a  feeble  apology  for 
one,  as  found  on  the  ground,  in  a  bush,  in  the  hollow 
of  a  tree  or  lost  among  the  stones  of  a  desert  beach. 

Anthropology,  covering  a  wide  field  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  human  family,  and  furnishing  a  vast  range 
of  materials  available  for  museum  purposes,  naturally 
became  an  important  feature  in  the  young  museum. 
The  founders  were  fortunate  in  securing  at  the  outset 
extensive  collections  representing  many  widely  separ- 
ated portions  of  the  world. 

The  great  group  illustrating  the  carrying  industries 
has  already  been  referred  to.  Other  exhibits  illustrat- 
ing interests  of  special  importance  to  civilized  man, 
such  as  ceramics,  textiles,  leathers,  jewelry,  etc.,  have 
been  gathered  into  a  department  of  industries.  In 
another  direction,  the  fine  arts,  particularly  painting 
and  sculptures,  might  well  be  segregated.  The  indus- 
tries and  the  fine  arts  being  thus  separately  provided 
for,  there  would  remain  a  department  to  which  should 
be  referred  whatever  relates  to  the  progressive  move- 
ments of  primitive  peoples,  through  all  the  stages 
which  brought  them  to  the  fuller  light  of  a  generous 
civilization. 

The  location  of  the  museum,  in  proximity  to  the  cen- 
ter of  the  North  American  continent,  imposes  upon  it 
a  peculiar  obligation  to  take  a  prominent  part  in  secur- 
ing from  the  tribes  of  red  men,  now  rapidly  disappear- 
ing, everything  that  can  illustrate  the  history  and 
the  character  of  those  indigenous  races. 

A  brief  enumeration  will  indicate  the  recognition  of 
this  obligation,  and  the  steps  taken  in  its  fulfillment. 


216  The  Field  Columbian  Museum. 

Among  the  important  collections  which  have  a  direct 
bearing-  upon  the  subject  are  the  generous  gift  of  Mr. 
Edward  E.  Ayer,  illustrative  of  American  ethnology, 
valued  at  $100, 000,  as  already  stated:  houses,  totem  poles 
and  utensils  from  the  Haida  Indians  of  Alaska;  Eskimo 
material  from  North  Greenland,  Alaska  and  Eastern 
Siberia;  casts  of  sculptured  ruins  in  Yucatan;  illustra- 
tions of  the  villages,  homes  and  employments  of  the 
Zuni,  Hopi  and  other  dwellers  upon  the  mesas  in  the 
arid  regions  of  Arizona  and  vicinity;  collections  from 
the  Hopewell  mounds  of  Ohio,  from  New  Jersey,  the 
southern  states  and  Canada;  collections  from  Peru, 
Colombia,  Paraguay  and  British  Guiana. 

Some  of  this  vast  array  of  valuable  material  was 
shown  at  the  Columbian  Exposition,  some  has  since 
been  added  by  gift,  much  has  been  gathered  by  the 
work  ing  staff  of  the  museum  in  vacation  and  other  ex- 
cursions. To  the  enumeration  may  be  added  casts  of 
Chaldeo-Assyrian  antiquities,  originals  from  Egypt, 
ethnographic  material  from  islands  of  the  Pacific  ocean, 
from  all  parts  of  eastern  Asia  and  from  Africa. 

In  this  account  of  the  museum  much  has  been  omit- 
ted, and  all  has  been  condensed .  It  is  not  possible  to  give 
more  briefly  an  adequate  conception  of  the  magnificent 
enterprise  which,  at  the  outset,  stepped  into  the  front 
rank  among  the  great  museums  of  the  world.  Its 
scheme  is  ample.  Its  methods  accord  with  the  best 
museum  practice.  With  its  present  and  increasing 
facilities  it  will  continue  to  confer  inestimable  benefits 
upon  the  citizens  and,  particularly,  the  youth  of  the 
metropolitan  city  of  Chicago. 

Science  is  served  by  the  museum  through  the  original 
work  of  its  staff,  performed  upon  its  collections,  and 
made  known  by  its  publications. 

The  general  public  is  served  by  the  museum  through 
its  collections,  open  constantly  for  study  or  amusement, 
by  its  popular  lecture  courses,  and  also  by  its  publica- 
tions. The  halls  of  the  museum  are  open  to  the  public 


The  Field  Columbian  Museum.  217 

365  days  in  the  year,  on  Saturdays  and  Sundays  with- 
out charge.  Many  thousands  of  free  tickets  are  issued 
each  year  to  the  children  of  the  public  schools  of  the 
city,  through  their  superintendents,  and  teachers  with 
their  classes  are  always  welcome.  During  the  five 
years  since  the  opening  of  the  museum  the  average 
attendance  has  been  more  than  250,000  per  annum. 

During  each  season  two  or  more  courses  of  lectures, 
of  six  to  ten  lectures  in  each  course,  are  given  at  the 
museum  by  members  of  the  staff  or  other  noted  scien- 
tists, upon  scientific  subjects  of  popular  interest,  to 
crowded  audiences,  admitted  without  charge.  The  lec- 
tures are  usually  illustrated  with  transparencies  pre- 
pared in  the  museum. 

Publications  are  issued,  not  at  stated  periods,  but 
whenever  suitable  material  has  been  prepared  by  some 
of  the  staff.  The  museum  maintains  its  own  printing 
office.  Forty-one  papers  have  been  printed  and  dis- 
tributed to  the  officers  and  members  of  the  Association, 
and  to  other  scientific  and  educational  institutions. 
The  issues  are  classified  as- follows: 

Historical,  two  papers;  geological,  six  papers;  bo- 
tanical, four  papers;  zoological,  fifteen  papers;  anthro- 
pological, five  papers ;  ornithological,  two  papers ; 
reports,  four;  miscellaneous,  three. 

The  library  contains  10,000  books  and  11,500  pam- 
phlets, which  may  be  consulted  freely  by  visitors  to  the 
museum.     The  whole  number  of  museum  articles  en- 
tered in  the  catalogue  of  accessions  is  181,492. 
The  productive  endowment  is  $702,000. 
The  income  for  the  year  ending  September  30, 1899, 
from  all  sources,  was  $63,506. 

The  membership  of  the  Field  Columbian  Museum, 
organized  as  a  society,  consists  of  the  following  : 

Corporate  members 65    ' 

Patrons 5 

Honorary  members 4 

Life  members 81 

Annual  members .  .  415 


218  The  Field  Columbian  Museum. 

The  officers  for  the  current  year,  ending  September 
30,  1900,  are  :  Harlow  N.  Higinbotham,  president  and 
chairman  of  the  executive  committee  ;  Martin  A.  Ryer- 
son,  first  vice-president ;  Norman  B.  Ream,  second  vice- 
president  ;  George  Manierre,  secretary ;  Byron  L. 
Smith,  treasurer. 

The  museum  staff  consists  of  the  following  :  Fred- 
erick J.  V.  Skiff,  director ;  G.  A.  Dorsey,  curator, 
department  of  anthropology  ;  S.  C.  Simms,  assistant 
curator,  division  of  ethnology  ;  C.  P.  Millspaugh,  cura- 
tor, department  of  botany  ;  O.  C.  Farrington,  curator, 
department  of  geology;  H.  W.  Nichols,  assistant  cura- 
tor, department  of  geology  ;  Elmer  S.  Riggs,  assistant 
curator  of  palaeontology ;  D.  G.  Elliot,  curator,  depart- 
ment of  zoology  ( except  ornithology ) ;  S.  E.  Meek, 
assistant  curator ;  C.  B.  Cory,  curator,  department  of 
ornithology  ;  Elsie  Lippincott,  librarian ;  D.  C.  Davies, 
recorder. 

The  Field  Columbian  Museum,  with  Chicago's  other 
great  educational  endowments,  its  university,  its  libra- 
ries, its  institutions  and  its  schools  of  art  and  science, 
gives  to  this  city  an  eminence  as  a  conservator  of  the 
most  exalted  humanities,  fully  consonant  with  her  un- 
rivaled commercial  position. 


MODEL   OF  THE   MOON. 


THE  YERKES  OBSERVATORY  OF  THE  UNI- 
VERSITY OF   CHICAGO. 

The  establishment  of  the  Yerkes  Observatory  is  due 
to  the  liberality  of  Mr.  Charles  T.  Yerkes,  who  up  to 
the  present  year  (1899),  was  for  a  long  time  at  the  head 
of  the  systems  of  city  railway  transportation  in  the  west 
and  north  divisions  of  the  city  of  Chicago.  In  October, 
1892,  after  consultation  with  Prof.  George  E.  Hale  and 
President  Harper,  of  the  University,  Mr.  Yerkes  gave 
the  order  for  the  40-inch  lens,  then  unfinished,  in  the 
possession  of  Alvan  Clark,  of  Cambridgeport,  Mass., 
and  for  an  equatorial  mounting  for  the  same,  to  be  con- 
structed by  Messrs.  Warner  &  Swasey.  The  mounting 
was  prominent  among  the  exhibits  at  the  great  World's 
Fair  in  1893.  Mr.  Yerkes  also  agreed  to  pay  for  the 
erection  of  a  suitable  observatory  building.  The  plans 
for  the  same  were  prepared  by  Professor  Hale  in  1893 
and  1894,  and  the  work  of  construction  was  begun  in 
April,  1895,  under  the  direction  of  the  architect,  Mr. 
Henry  Ives  Cobb.  The  operations  of  building,  mount- 
ing and  adjusting  were  completed  in  October,  1897, 
when  the  work  of  the  observatory  was  formally  inaugu- 
rated by  a  numerously  attended  congress  of  leading 
astronomers,  an  excursion  party  composed  of  many 
prominent  citizens  of  Chicago  and  vicinity,  and  appro- 
priate dedicatory  exercises.  The  total  cost  to  Mr. 
Yerkes  is  understood  to  have  been  $66,000  for  the  big 
lens,  $55,000  for  the  mounting,  $45,000  for  the  dome 
and  rising  floor,  $3,000  for  a  stellar  spectrograph,  and 
anunstated  sum  paid  by  him  for  the  erection  of  a  power 
house.  The  30-foot  dome  on  the  southeast  tower  cost 
$7,000.  The  26-foot  dome  on  the  northeast  tower  for- 
merly belonged  to  the  Kenwood  Observatory,  the  entire 
equipment  of  which,  including  the  12-inch  telescope, 
solar  spectroscope,  concave  grating  spectroscope, 
astronomical  clock,  minor  instruments,  tools,  machin- 
ery, etc.,  was  given  to  the  University  of  Chicago  by 
Mr.  William  E.  Hale,  for  use  in  the  Yerkes  observatory. 
Other  instruments  which  have  been  constructed  are  a 
3i-inch  transit  telescope,  a  photoheliograph  attached 

(219) 


220  The  Yerkes  Observatory. 

to  the  large  instrument,  a  spectroheliograph  for  photo- 
graphing the  solar  prominences  and  faculse,  a  Michel- 
son  interferometer,  an  interpolating  machine,  a  micro- 
meter for  measuring  photographs  of  stellar  spectra, 
apparatus  for  enlarging  photographs  of  stellar  spectra, 
a  large  spherometer,  and  various  bolometers  and  acces- 
sory apparatus.  In  the  optical  laboratory  a  grinding 
machine,  constructed  in  the  instrument  shop,  has  been 
used  by  Mr.  Ritchey  in  making  a  60-inch  glass  speculum 
for  a  reflector.  Also  an  equatorial  mounting  has  been 
constructed  in  the  observatory  workshop  for  a  24-inch 
reflecting  telescope,  with  mirror  by  Mr.  Ritchey.  And 
Miss  Catherine  Bruce  has  made  provision  for  supplying 
a  photographic  telescope  of  ten  inches  aperture  to  be 
mounted  in  a  small  building  on  the  observatory  grounds. 
The  steel  tube  of  the  big  "Yerkes"  telescope  is 
sixty-four  feet  long.  Its  center  of  motion  is  some  240 
feet  above  the  surface  of  Lake  Geneva,  and  about  1,200 
above  the  sea  level.  Its  astronomical  position  is  now 
being  accurately  determined.  Approximately  it  is  in 
north  latitude  42°  34'  15",  and  longitude  5h.  54m.  14s. 
west  from  Greenwich.  It  is  thirty-eight  miles  west  from 
Lake  Michigan,  one-third  of  a  mile  from  the  shore  of  Lake 
Geneva,  and  more  than  a  mile  distant  from  the  nearest 
railroad  track.  The  site  comprises  an  area  of  fifty- 
,  three  acres,  which  was  donated  by  Mr.  John  Johnston. 
The  region  is  one  where  the  mean  annual  cloudiness  is 
small  for  this  part  of  the  United  States.  It  has  nearly 
the  minimum  of  dust,  and  is  not  likely  to  be  disturbed 
by  the  establishment  of  factories,  while  the  summer 
residences  on  the  shore  of  the  lake  are  well  removed 
from  the  site  of  the  observatory.  The  nature  of  the 
soil  is  such  that  almost  the  minimum  of  ground  vibra- 
tion is  secured,  and  the  site  is  not  appreciably  affected 
by  atmospheric  disturbances  due  to  the  small  lake, 
as  the  prevailing  winds  at  the  observatory  do  not  blow 
across  much  water  surface.  Hence  the  atmospheric 
conditions  are  really  good.  They  compare  well  with 
those  in  the  neighborhood  of  any  other  observatory 
in  the  United  States,  with  the  possible  exception  of 
those  in  California  and  Arizona.  Experience  shows 
that  they  are  about  as  good  as  could  be  desired  for  work 
on  the  sun,  which  necessarily  has  to  be  prosecuted  in 
the  daytime,  and  which  hitherto  has  formed  the  princi- 
pal subject  of  Professor  Hale's  investigations;  while 
those  of  the  night  part  of  the  twenty-four  hours  are 


The  Yerkes  Observatory. 


221 


somewhat  less  good,  for  which  reason  the  higher  power 
magnifying  eye  pieces  cannot  be  used  quite  so  often  as 
wished  for.  The  principal  difficulty  of  the  present 
seems  to  be  in  the  heavy  wall  of  the  tower  under  the 
big  dome,  which  renders  the  equalization  of  external 
and  internal  temperature  a  slow  process,  causing  annoy- 
ing air  currents  near  the  object  glass.  Otherwise  the 
steadiness  of  seeing  is  superb,  and  the  mechanism 
which  moves  the  telescope  to  make  it  keep  pace  with  a 
star,  is  almost  perfect  in  its  action. 

The  following  are  the  magnifying  powers  of  the  dif- 
ferent eye  pieces  with  which  the  big  telescope  is 
furnished;  230,  280,  350,  400,  700,  940,  1,340,  1,700, 


THE   YERKES  TELESCOPE. 

2,080,  2,680  and  3,750.  When  the  latter  is  employed 
the  field  of  view  is  only  twenty-eight  seconds  of  arc  in 
diameter,  which  is  less  than  sufficient  to  show  the  whole 
of  the  disc  of  Jupiter  at  once,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
moon.  After  allowing  for  loss  of  light,  etc.,  as  one  has 
to  allow  for  the  loss  of  power  by  transmission  through 
machinery,  the  highest  effective  gain  that  is  possible 
with  the  Yerkes  instrument,  assuming  perfect  atmos- 
pheric conditions,  is  that  the  observer  could  see  the 
moon  through  the  telescope  about  as  well  as  he  could 
see  it  with  the  naked  eye  at  a  distance  of  100  miles. 
For  the  planet  Mars  the  corresponding  naked  eye  dis- 
tance would  be  about  15,000  miles.  From  this  it  is 
easy  to  infer  that  the  telescope  will  have  to  be  vastly 
increased  in  power  before  any  man  can  reasonably 


222  The  Yerkes  Observatory. 

hope  to  deal  with  the  question  of  life  on  the  moon, 
otherwise  than  in  the  most  generally  inferential  way, 
while  the  difficulty  in  the  case  of  any  one  of  the  planets 
is  vastly  greater.  And  there  is  very  little  ground  for 
hope  that  the  difficulty  ever  will  be  overcome,  at  least 
optically.  The  Yerkes  telescope  is  the  largest  refract- 
ing instrument  in  the  world,  its  aperture  of  forty  inches 
being  one-ninth  greater  than  that  of  the  Lick,  and 
nearly  two  and  one-sixth  times  that  of  the  Dearborn 
instrument,  which  was  the  greatest  refractor  in  the 
world  at  the  time  it  was  brought  to  Chicago  in  1866. 
One  of  forty-eight  inches  aperture  is  being  constructed 
in  France  for  the  World's  Fair  at  Paris,  but  that 
will  be  far  inside  the  above  noted  limits  of  possi- 
bility for  the  study  of  life  conditions  on  the  lunar  sur- 
face. And  it  may  be  added  that  the  advantages  to  be 
gained  by  a  further  increase  of  size  are  highly  prob- 
lematical. Besides  the  trouble  of  manipulation  and  the 
loss  of  light  by  passage  of  the  rays  through  greater 
thickness  of  glass,  there  is  the  important  fact  that  the 
cure  for  chromatic  aberration,  which  was  invented  by 
Dollond  a  century  and  a  half  ago,  is  not  an  absolute 
corrective  for  the  big  refractors  that  can  be  made  now. 
There  is  a  scattering  of  rays  in  the  direction  of  the 
axis.  In  the  Yerkes  telescope  the  rays  in  the  ultra 
violet  portion  of  the  spectrum  come  to  a  focus  a  at 
point  which  is  fully  six  inches  further  from  the  object 
glass  than  is  the  point  at  which  the  yellow  rays  focus, 
and  there  is  not  any  known  means  of  obviating  this  diffi- 
culty, which  increases  with  the  area  of  the  object  lens. 
It  is  impossible  to  tell  what  will  be  done  at  the 
Yerkes  Observatory  in  the  future.  One  may  draw  an 
inference  from  the  following  synopsis  of  what  already 
has  been  accomplished,  which  is  abstracted  from  a  paper 
kindly  furnished  by  Director  Hale: 

' '  Professor  Burnham  has  employed  the  big  telescope 
two  nights  in  the  week  in  the  measurement  of  double 
stars,  with  the  special  purpose  of  preparing  a  catalogue 
of  his  own  stars  for  publication.  He  has  measured 
about  1,000  pairs,  and  discovered  a  few  new  doubles. 

' '  Professor  Barnard  has  measured  a  number  of  double 
stars,  including  the  most  difficult  pairs  known,  and 
determined  the  periods  of  several  of  the  variable  stars 
discovered  by  Professor  Pickering  in  the  cluster  known 
as  Messier  5.  He  has  also  triangulated  the  stars  in 
several  clusters  by  an  extensive  series  of  micrometer 


Tfie  Yerkes  Observatory.  223 

measures.  During  the  summer  of  1898  he  made  a 
series  of  measures  of  the  diameters  of  Venus  and 
Mercury,  and  was  unable  to  find  any  traces  of  the 
linear  markings  recently  described  by  several  observ- 
ers, though  the  vague  markings  seen  by  him  at  Mount 
Hamilton  were  visible  through  the  Yerkes  glass.  He 
has  frequently  observed  the  fifth  satellite  of  Jupiter, 
discovered  by  him  in  September,  1892,  and  determined 
its  period  of  revolution  to  be  llh.  57m.  22.652s.  He  has 
measured  the  satellite  of  Neptune  many  times,  taken  a 
large  number  of  measures  of  the  position  of  the  little 
planet  Eros,  which  at  times  comes  nearer  to  the  earth 
than  any  other  body  except  the  moon  and  meteoroids, 
has  studied  the  markings  on  the  surfaces  of  Jupiter  and 
Saturn,  and  made  many  measures  of  positions  of  comets 
and  nebulag,  with  dimensions  of  the  latter. 

"During  the  last  three  years  Professor  Barnard  has 
made  a  large  number  of  photographs  of  stars  and 
nebulae  with  portrait  lenses  of  various  dimensions, 
some  of  these  being  taken  for  the  purpose  of  testing 
trial  lenses  so  as  to  secure  the  best  type  of  portrait 
lens  for  the  Bruce  photographic  telescope.  He  and 
Messrs.  Ritchey  and  Ellerman  observed  the  Leonid 
meteors  the  night  of  November  14,  1898.  They  deter- 
mined the  greatest  hourly  rate  (105)  to  be  between 
three  and  four  o'clock  A.  M.,  and  the  position  of  the 
radiant  to  be  9  h.  56  m.  of  right  ascension,  and  24°  of 
north  declination.  Since  July,  1898,  Professor  Frost 
has  devoted  most  of  his  observing  time  to  determining 
the  velocities  of  stars  in  the  line  of  sight.  Some 
important  improvements  in  the  apparatus  for  perform- 
ing this  work  are  being  made  as  the  result  of  these 
experiments. 

"Director  Hale,  assisted  by  Mr.  Ellerman,  has 
studied  the  spectrum  of  the  solar  chromosphere,  and 
discovered  a  large  number  of  bright  lines  that  are  new 
to  the  observer,  including  the  bands  due  to  carbon 
vapor.  They  have  made  a  number  of  experiments  in 
photographing  the  sun,  and  hope  by  the  close  of  this 
year  to  be  systematically  at  work  with  a  large  spectro- 
heliograph  which  is  nearing  completion  in  the  work- 
shop of  the  observatory,  made  from  designs  by 
Director  Hale.  These  gentlemen  have  undertaken 
a  photographic  study  of  stars  of  Secchi's  fourth  type, 
and  found  it  possible  to  use  a  dispersion  train  of  three 
prisms,  even  with  the  faintest  of  the  stars,  which  range 


224  The  Yerkes  Observatory. 

down  to  less  than  the  eighth  magnitude.  They  have 
measured  several  hundred  lines  in  the  spectra,  and  the 
radial  velocity  has  been  sufficiently  well  determined  to 
permit  the  wave  lengths  to  be  corrected  for  motion.  A 
study  of  the  photographs  has  led  to  the  conclusion  that 
these  stars  of  the  fourth  type  contain  bright  lines,  and 
that  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  an  intimate  connection 
between  stars  of  the  third  and  fourth  types.  Mr. 
Ellerman  has  obtained  spectra  of  Jupiter  and  Saturn, 
the  latter  affording  the  best  of  evidence  that  the  heavy 
Saturnian  atmosphere  is  far  less  dense  or  altogether 
lacking  on  the  rings.  Professor  Wadsworth  has  pho- 
tographed the  spectra  of  several  double  stars,  includ- 
ing some  photographic  binaries,  for  the  purpose 
of  determining  the  relative  displacement  of  lines  that 
are  common  to  both 'spectra.  He  also  has  published 
a  series  of  papers  dealing  with  the  optical  theory 
of  the  telescope  and  other  instruments,  and  these 
investigations  have  led  to  important  developments 
of  the  theory  of  the  resolving  power  of  spectroscopes. 

"During  the  summer  of  1898,  Dr.  E.  F.  Nichols,  of 
Dartmouth  College,  made  an  important  study  of  heat 
radiation  from  the  stars.  The  sensitiveness  of  the 
radiometer  used  by  him  was  such  that  a  deflection  of 
one-tenth  of  a  millimeter  corresponded  to  the  heat  that 
would  be  received  from  a  candle  fifteen  miles  away,  if 
there  were  no  loss  by  atmospheric  absorption.  He 
obtained  deflections  of  six  times  this  quantity  for 
the  heat  radiation  from  Arcturus,  and  a  little  less  than 
half  that  from  Vega.  Mr.  J.  A.  Parkhurst,  of  Marengo, 
111.,  devoted  several  nights  to  observations  of  variable 
stars,  and  was  able  to  set  an  upper  limit  to  the  minimum 
magnitudes  of  nine  variables.  Satisfactory  photo- 
graphs of  the  moon  have  been  obtained  with  the  aid  of 
the  great  Yerkes  telescope,  though  the  instrument  is 
not  intended  for  photographic  work." 

The  staff  of  workers  at  the  Yerkes  Observatory  in 
June,  1899,  included  George  E.  Hale,  director;  S.  W. 
Burnham  and  E.  E.  Barnard,  astronomers;  E.  B.  Frost, 
astrophysicist;  Ferdinand  Ellerman,  assistant,  and 
G.  W.  Ritchey,  optician.  Prof.  F.  L.  O.  Wadsworth  has 
accepted  the  directorship  of  the  Allegheny  observatory. 
No  permanent  endowment  has  been  secured  for  the 
observatory,  but  Miss  Catherine  W.  Bruce,  of  New  York, 
has  given  $15,000,  to  be  used  in  paying  the  salary  of 
one  member  of  the  staff  for  a  term  of  years. 


COMMERCIAL  HISTORY  OF  ILLINOIS. 


No  nation  or  state  ever  rose  high  in  the  scale  of  civilization 
whose  commercial  relations  with  the  outside  world  were  lim- 
ited, and  it  may  with  truth  be  said,  that  nations  rise  in  wealth 
and  grandeur  almost  in  proportion  as  they  barter,  buy  and 
sell  with  other  nations. 

The  progress  of  Illinois,  in  this  direction,  has  been  marked 
by  many  a  change  in  the  varied  history  of  the  country.  Buf- 
falo hides  were  the  first  articles  of  merchandise  ever  shipped 
from  the  Illinois  country;  and  the  export  of  these  began  about 
1720.  They  were  sent  down  the  Mississippi  river  to  New 
Orleans,  which  had  then  just  been  laid  out  as  a  French  vil- 
lage. A  few  years  later  wheat,  flour,  and  other  agricultural 
productions  followed  in  the  same  channel.  The  French  fur 
traders  came  into  Northern  Illinois  as  early  as  the  winter  of 
1674-5,*  and  bought  furs  of  the  Indians  for  the  Canada  trade. 

Shortly  after  the  English  took  possession  of  Illinois  in  1765, 
the  British  board  of  trade  took  the  subject  under  consider- 
ation of  turning  the  trade  of  their  French  subjects,  here,  away 
from  the  French  of  New  Orleans  to  the  lakes  and  the  St. 
Lawrence  river,  but  nothing  was  ever  done  to  accomplish 
such  a  result;  probably  owing  to  the  friendly  relations  be- 
tween the  French  and  the  Indians  and  the  unfriendly  rela- 
tions between  the  English  and  the  Indians. 

Spain  purchased  Louisiana  of  France  in  1762,  which 
country  then  included  the  territory  west  of  the  Mississippi 
river  and  New  Orleans  on  its  east  bank.  Shortly  after  the 
peace  of  Paris,  in  1783,  Spain  closed  the  navigation  of  the 

*See  Marquett's  Journal,  written  in  "  Chicag-ou,"  lt>7r>,  translated  by 
J.  G.  Shea,  and  first  published,  in  Eng-lish,  in  Dawson's  Historical  Mag-., 
New  York. 

(225) 


226  Commerce  of  Chicago. 

*Mississippi  river  against  the  commerce  of  the  west,  which 
cut  off  her  only  available  channel  of  communication  with  the 
sea,  for  the  whole  of  Northern  Illinois  was  a  desolate  wild, 
and  the  shores  of  Lake  Michigan  could  not  be  reached  by  the 
French  of  Illinois  except  by  a  long-  overland  route  across  the 
prairies,  over  which  neither  roads  had  been  built,  nor  had 
streams  been  bridged. 

In  1795  Spain  agreed  by  treaty,  negotiated  October  27th  by 
Thomas  Pinkney  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  to  yield  to 
the  latter  power  the  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi ;f  but 
her  procrastinating  policy  in  relinquishing  her  forts  on  the 
banks  of  this  stream,  at  Natchez  and  other  places,  delayed  its 
fulfillment  till  the  Spanish  government  retroceded  Louisiana 
to  the  French  in  1800,  by  the  secret  treaty  of  St.  Ildefonso. 
This  treaty  was  not  published  to  the  nations  till  two  years 
later,  the  next  year  after  which  Louisiana  was  purchased  of 
the  French  by  the  United  States,  the  treaty  for  which  was 
ratified  by  congress  October  21st,  1803. 

From  this  time  onward  till  the  water  craft  of  the  lakes  had 
reached  Chicago,  as  common  carriers,  which  was  in  about 
1835,  the  export  trade  of  Illinois  went  to  New  Orleans  with- 
out hindrance,  and  even  from  this  later  date  (1835)  to  the  era 
of  railroads,  the  Mississipi  river  was  a  more  important  chan- 
nel of  trade  to  the  State  of  Illinois  than  the  lakes.  Meantime 
the  new  motive  power,  destined  to  transcend  both  of  the 
original  channels  of  trade,  was  slowly  and  surely  approaching 
the  state  from  the  Atlantic  coast  across  the  intervening 
country,  studding  its  broad  plains  with  towns  in  its  course, 
and  multiplying  its  wealth. 

The  legislature  of   Illinois  was  composed  of   men  of  am- 

*When  England  conceded  the  Mississippi  river  as  the  western  bound- 
ary of  the  United  States,  at  the  peace  of  1783,  she  also  transferred  to 
the  new  government  her  rights  of  navigating  this  stream.  When  this 
treaty  was  signed  at  Paris,  it  was  done  without  the  knowledge  of  the 
Spanish  minister,  who  claimed,  for  his  government,  all  the  territory 
between  the  Alleghanies  and  the  Mississippi.  Spain  thus  balked  in  her 
ambition  to  secure  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  to  herself,  was  smart- 
ing under  the  sting  of  having  been  humiliated  by  the  able  diplomacy  of 
American  statesmen,  which  was  one  of  the  causes  of  her  waywardness 
in  excluding  the  Americans  from  navigating  the  Mississippi.  Her 
excuse  for  this  course  was  that  England  had  transferred  a  claim  to 
which  she  herself  had  no  right,  which  was  perhaps  true,  but  it  was  in 
vain  that  the  Spanish  government  protested  against  the  new  order  of 
destiny  that  the  fortunes  of  war  had  brought. 

fSee  Treaty  of  San  Lorenzo  el  Real,  Am.  State  Papers,  1795. 


Commerce  of  Chicago.  227 

bitious  purposes,  from  the  first,  and  this  spirit  seemed  to 
gather  strength  as  other  states  to  the  eastward  set  the 
example  of  building-  canals,  and  particularly  railroads. 

The  first  official  act  here  in  this  direction  took  place  Janu- 
ary 28th,  1831,  at  which  time  an  act  was  passed  by  the  gen- 
eral assembly  for  the  survey  of  a  route  for  a  canal  or  railroad 
in  St.  Clair  county.  *Other  plans  for  public  transportation 
by  means  of  canals,  slack  water  navigation  and  railroads, 
were  subsequently  chartered  by  the  state,  some  of  which  were 
premature,  while  others  showed  the  wisdom  and  forecast  of 
their  architects.  Of  the  latter  sort  the  Galena  &  Chicago 
Union  and  the  Illinois  Central  railroads  were  examples — the 
first  as  the  pioneer  east  and  west  line  through  the  state,  and 
the  last  as  the  pioneer  north  and  south  line  from  the  southern 
extremity  of  the  state  to  its  great  commercial  emporium  on 
the  lakes  and  to  its  northwestern  tangent. 

THE  RAILROADS  OF  CHICAGO. 

List  of  Railroads  that  enter  Chicago  on  their  own  tracks 
August  1st,  1900,  with  date  of  their  entrance  into  this  city. 

Several  of  these  Railroads  had  been  operated  for  years 
before  they  were  built  into  Chicago.  Belt  lines  and  Railroads 
that  do  not  extend  beyond  Cook  County  are  omitted,  as  also 
are  omitted  roads  owned  or  controlled  but  'not  operated  by 
the  parent  road. 

Many  of  these  roads  have  direct  connection  with  other 
lines  tending  towards  Chicago  but  have  no  tracks  of  their 
own  entering  the  city. 

Passengers  can  be  ticketed  from  Chicago  to  all  points  in 
the  United  States  by  the  admirable  coupon  system  of  tickets 
in  universal  use. 


ttalena  &  Chicago  Union  Railway  Co.— Entered  Chicago  in  the  Fall  of 
1848.  Consolidated  June  2nd,  18C4,  with  other  Companies  under 
the  title  of  the  Chicago  &  North- Western  Railway  Company. 

Michigan  Central          ....        May  21st,  1852. 

Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  Southern      .        May  22nd,  1852. 

Illinois  Central  ....         October,  1856. 

*See  paper  read  by  W.  K.  Ackerman  before  the  Chicago  Historical 
Society,  February,  1885. 


228 


Commerce  of  Chicago. 


Chicago,  Burlington  and  Qtiincy  . 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  and  Pacific- . 
Chicago  and  Alton         .        . 
Pitts.,  Ft.  Wayne  and  Chicago      . 
Pitts.,  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis    . 
Chicago  and  Eastern  Illinois 
Chicago,  Indianapolis  and  Louisville 
Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul 
Baltimore  and  Ohio 

Wabash 

New  York,  Chicago  and  St.  Louis 

Grand  Trunk        .... 

Chicago  Great  Western 

lie  hi  so  n,  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe    . 

Wisconsin  Central 

Erie 


May  20th,  1864. 
Oct.  1st,  1852. 
1857. 

Nov.  10th,  1856. 
March  ,  1856. 

Oct.  ,  1869. 

Jan.  9th,  1882. 
February,  1873. 
Nov.  17th,  1874. 
March  23rd,  1880. 
Oct.  22nd,  1882. 
Feb.  12th,  1880. 
Sept.,  1887. 
Sept.  17th,  1887. 
July,  1886. 
April,  1883. 


METHOD   OF   TRAVEL   PREVIOUS  TO   THE   INTRODUCTION   OF  RAILROADS. 


S.  W  Corner  Lake  and  Dearborn  Streets. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CHICAGO  TRIBUNE. 

BY  PROF.  ELIAS  COLBERT. 

The  Chicago  Tribune,  like  all  the  great  newspapers 
of  the  United  States,  had  a  very  contracted  and  humble 
origin.  Its  existence  began  on  Thursday,  June  10, 
1847,  in  the  third  story  of  a  building  on  the  southwest 
corner  of  La  Salle  and  Lake  streets,  a  single  apartment 
being  sufficient  for  the  counting  room,  printing  office, 
and  editorial  "sanctum."  The  men  who  stood  spon- 
sors for  it  at  its  birth  were  James  J.  Kelly,  John  E. 
Wheeler  and  Joseph  C.  K.  Forrest.  Messrs.  Wheeler 
and  Forrest  were  the  principal  writers.  Mr.  Kelly  had 
been  associated  for  two  years  previously  with  Thomas 
A.  Stewart,  as  publishers  of  a  weekly  paper  called  The 
Gem  of  the  Prairie,  which  was  continued  until  1849  as  the 
weekly  edition  of  the  Tribune,  and  then  separately  till 
1852.  The  Weekly  Tribune,  as  a  distinct  issue,  dropped 
out  of  existence  in  August,  1887. 

The  new  paper  was  independent  in  politics,  with 
free  soil  leanings.  The  name  is  reported  to  have  been 
suggested  by  Mr.  Forrest,  and  readily  adopted  by  Mr. 
Wheeler,  who  previously  had  been  on  the  staff  of  the 
paper  "  founded  by  Horace  Greeley."  Four  hundred 
copies,  worked  off  on  a  hand  press,  one  of  the  pro- 
prietors acting  as  pressman,  was  the  extent  of  the  first 
edition  of  the  Chicago  Tribune.  That  was  not  far  from 
being  in  the  same  proportion  to  the  number  of  inhabit- 
ants of  the  city  as  an  issue  of  45,000  would  be  to-day. 

The  Tribune  soon  underwent  a  complete  change  of 
ownership.  Mr.  Kelly  withdrew  two  weeks  after  the 

(229) 


230  History  of  the  Chicago  Tribune. 

date  of  the  first  issue,  and  his  interest  was  taken  by 
Thomas  A.  Stewart.  September  27  of  the  same  year 
Mr.  Forrest  retired,  drawing  out  his  original  invest- 
ment of  only  $600,  which  had  been  advanced  by  Jonathan 
Y.  Scammon.  From  that  time  till  August  23,  1848,  the 
Tribune  was  conducted  by  Messrs.  Wheeler  and  Stewart. 
Then  Mr.  John  Locke  Scripps  purchased  a.  one-third 
interest,  and  the  firm  name  became  Wheeler,  Stewart 
&  Scripps.  May  22  of  the  next  year,  1849,  the  office 
was  entirely  destroyed  by  fire,  but  the  loss  was  nearly 
covered  by  an  insurance  for  $2, 100,  and  publication  was 
resumed  two  days  later.  Several  removals  followed, 
and  December  6,  before  a  permanent  location  was 
secured,  the  publishers  had  completed  arrangements  for 
receiving  news  dispatches  from  New  York,  this  mark- 
ing a  long  step  forward  in  the  history  of  Chicago  jour- 
nalism. In  May,  1850,  the  establishment  was  removed 
to  the  Masonic  building,  No.  173  Lake  street,  and  the 
Tribune  began  to  be  prosperous.  It  was  enlarged  to 
the  dimensions  of  28x40  inches,  and  had  a  daily  circula- 
tion of  1,120  copies. 

On  June  30,  1851,  Mr.  Wheeler  sold  his  interest  to 
Thomas  J.  Waite,  who  became  the  business  manager, 
but  died  of  cholera  August  26,  1852,  his  interest  being 
taken  by  Henry  Fowler.  June  12,  1852,  Mr.  Scripps, 
who  had  been  for  some  years  the  leading  editorial 
writer,  sold  his  one-third  interest  to  a  party  of  promi- 
nent whigs,  and  General  William  Duane  Wilson  assumed 
the  editorial  management,  while  Mr.  Stewart  took 
charge  of  the  local  news  column.  About  this  time  the 
establishment  was  removed  to  No.  53  Clark  street,  in 
the  Evans  block,  opposite  the  Sherman  house,  where  the 
Tribune  was  conducted  as  an  active  free-soil  paper,  and 
supported  General  Scott  for  president.  March  23, 1853, 
General  Wilson  sold  out  his  interest  to  Henry  Fowler 
&  Co.,  the  company  being  Timothy  Wright  and  General 
J.  D.  Webster,  and  Mr.  Stewart  became  the  editor. 
The  following  July  Mr.  Fowler  retired,  on  account  of 


History  of  the  Chicago  Tribune.  231 

failing  health,  and  T.  A.  Stewart  &  Co.  were  announced 
as  the  publishers.  In  November  they  began  to  take  the 
Associated  Press  dispatches,  which  in  those  days  "  did 
not  amount  to  much,  though  they  were  about  as  good 
as  the  best."  In  January,  1855,  the  paper  was  enlarged 
to  ten  columns  to  the  page,  making  it,  as  conceded  by 
its  rival  contemporary,  The  Chicago  Democrat,  "the 
largest  daily  in  the  west,  except  one  or  two  in  St. 
Louis."  The  size  was,  however,  reduced  back  to  its 
former  dimensions  under  a  new  management  a  few 
months  later. 

June  18,  1855,  Mr.  Joseph  Medill,  coming  to  Chi- 
cago from  Cleveland,  Ohio,  purchased  a  one-third  inter- 
est in  the  Tribune,  and  July  21  Mr.  Stewart  announced 
through  the  paper  his  retirement  from  the  position  of 
editor  and  publisher.  About  the  same  time  Dr.  Charles 
H.  Ray,  who  had  become  editorially  connected  with 
the  office  the  preceding  April,  bought  a  one-quarter 
interest.  Mr.  Timothy  Wright  now  took  the  lead, 
Wright,  Medill  &  Co.  being  announced  as  the  pub- 
lishers. A  few  months  later  Mr.  John  C.  Vaughan, 
who  had  been  associated  with  Mr.  Medill  on  the  Cleve- 
land Leader,  joined  the  firm,  which  then  became 
Vaughan,  Ray  &  Medill,  the  two  first  named  being  the 
editors,  and  Mr.  Medill  acting  in  a  managerial  capac- 
ity. The  paper  was  reduced  in  size,  as  previously 
mentioned,  but  it  gained  enormously  in  circulation  and 
power.  July  1,  1855,  its  circulation  was  stated  as 
about  1,440  daily  and  1,000  weekly.  Three  months 
later  it  had  risen  to  3,000  daily,  5,000  tri-weekly,  and 
4,500  weekly,  the  expansion  necessitating  the  putting 
in  of  a  new  steam  press  of  the  Hoe  pattern  in  place  of 
the  old  "Northrup,"  and  in  connection  with  this 
change  the  Tribune  introduced  the  first  copper  faced 
type  that  was  ever  used  in  Illinois.  A  little  later 
Alfred  Cowles  was  taken  into  the  firm,  which  became 
Ray,  Medill  &  Co.  on  the  withdrawal  of  Mr.  Vaughan 
March  26,  1857.  From  this  onward  the  paper  pros- 


232  History  of  the  Chicago  Tribune. 

pered  well  through  the  "flush  times"  that  preceded 
the  panic  of  1857,  and  then  it  suffered  severely,  in  com- 
mon with  about  all  the  business  interests  of  Chicago 
and  the  whole  west. 

Three  months  after  his  retirement  from  the  Tribune 
Mr.  Scripps  joined  William  Bross,  subsequently  alder- 
man and  later  lieutenant  governor  of  this  state,  in  pub- 
lishing the  Democratic  Press,  the  first  number  of  which 
was  issued  September  16,  1852,  at  No.  45  Clark  street. 
For  a  time  the  new  paper  was  strictly  "  conservative 
democratic,"  but  after  the  passage  of  the  Kansas-Ne- 
braska bill  it  became  free  soil,  and  at  the  organization  of 
the  republican  party  it  earnestly  supported  that  party. 
The  Democratic  Press  is  entitled  to  the  post  mortem  dis- 
tinction of  having  paid  special  attention  to  the  then 
infant  manufactures  and  commerce  of  the  city.  Its 
statistical  articles,  compiled  by  Mr.  Bross,  formed  the 
beginning  of  the  series  which  has  constituted  the  well 
known  Tribune  annual  review  for  many  years  past. 

The  panic  of  1857  played  havoc  with  the  finances  of 
both  the  Tribune  and  the  Democratic  Press,  and  the  pro- 
prietors concluded  to  join  their  forces,  this  being  all 
the  easier  as  the  two  papers  had  occupied  almost  pre- 
cisely the  same  ground  politically.  The  consolidated 
paper  was  named  the  Press  and  Tribune,  the  junction 
dating  July  1,  1858.  That  title  was  retained  till  Octo- 
ber 25,  1860,  when  the  word  Press  was  dropped,  the 
then  re-adopted  title  of  the  paper  being  the  same  that 
it  bears  to-day.  The  consolidation  was  the  means  of 
effecting  a  great  saving  in  expenses,  but  it  did  not 
enable  the  proprietors,  Scripps,  Bross,  Spears,  Ray, 
Medill  and  Cowles,  to  avert  the  threatened  bank- 
ruptcy. They  were  forced  to  assign  in  the  following 
November,  and  obtained  an  extension  of  three  years  on 
their  indebtedness,  which, 'however,  was  all  paid  off  in 
the  first  twenty-one  months.  During  this  time  Mr. 
Scripps  was  the  senior  editor,  and  he  held  the  position 
till  his  appointment  as  postmaster  at  Chicago  by  Pres- 


History  of  the  Chicago  Tribune.  233 

ident  Lincoln,  March  28,  1861  About  the  end  of  1858 
the  company  removed  its  office  to  No.  51  Clark  street, 
and  the  paper  was  published  from  that  stand  till  the 
removal  to  the  present  location  on  the  southeast  corner 
of  Dearborn  and  Madison  streets  in  May,  1869. 

The  Tribune  Company  was  formally  incorporated 
by  a  special  act  of  the  legislature  February  18,  1861, 
the  incorporators  being  John  L.  Scripps,  William  Bross, 
C.  H.  Ray,  Joseph  Medill  and  Alfred  Cowles ;  with 
William  H.  Rand  as  a  stockholder.  The  capital  stock 
was  placed  at  $200,000,  and  has  not  been  increased 
since  then,  though  the  selling  value  of  the  same  has 
long  ranged  in  the  millions.  (A  large  block  of  it 
sold  on  the  basis  of  $1,000,000  as  long  ago  as  Octo- 
ber, 1874,  when  Mr.  Medill  purchased  from  Messrs. 
White  and  Cowles  enough  to  give  him  the  controlling 
interest,  which  he  retained  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
March  16,  1899,  and  that  sale  was  made  under  the 
heavy  depreciation  of  values  which  followed  the  panic 
of  1873).  March  2,  1861,  on  the  organization  of  the 
company  under  the  charter,  Mr.  Scripps  was  elected 
president  and  Mr.  Cowles,  secretary  ;  and  Dr.  Ray  be- 
came editor-in-chief  when  Mr.  Scripps  took  the  position 
of  postmaster  a  few  weeks  later.  November  20,  1863, 
Dr.  Ray  retired,  and  Mr.  Medill  was  editorial  superin- 
tendent from  that  date  till  August  1,  1866.  Horace 
White,  who  had  been  connected  with  the  paper  ever 
since  1856,  first  as  reporter  and  later  as  Washington 
correspondent,  succeeded  as  editor-in-chief,  having 
purchased  the  interest  of  Mr.  Scripps,  shortly  before 
the  latter  died,  September  21,  1866.  Mr.  White  held 
the  office  till  October,  1874.  Under  his  administration 
the  Tribune  supported  General  Grant  for  the  presidency 
in  1868,  but  switched  off  to  the  advocacy  of  free  trade 
doctrines,  and  supported  the  nomination  of  Greeley  for 
presidential  candidate  on  the  opposition  ticket  in  1872, 
the  result  being  a  great  loss  of  income  and  influence, 
owing  to  wide-spread  dissatisfaction  among  republicans 


234  History  of  the  Chicago  Tribune. 

who  had  indorsed  the  course  of  the  paper  in  its  early 
advocacy  of  the  principles  of  their  party,  the  election 
of  Lincoln,  and  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  war  for 
the  suppression  of  the  rebellion.  Messrs.  Medill  and 
Bross  protested  against  the"  radical  change  of  policy, 
but  were  powerless  in  the  matter,  as  Messrs.  White  and 
Cowles  controlled  a  bare  majority  of  the  stock.  This 
was  '"  the  reason  why  "  Mr.  Medill  insisted  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1874  that  those  two  gentlemen  must  sell  to  him 
enough  to  make  his  interest  a  controlling  one,  or  take 
the  alternative  of  whatever  consequences  might  ensue 
from  his  selling  out  entirely.  From  October  9  of  that 
year  till  his  decease,  March  16,  1899,  Mr.  Medill  was 
the  owner  of  a  little  more  than  half  of  the  stock  of  the 
company,  and  editor-in-chief  of  the  paper.  He  became 
president  of  the  company  on  the  death  of  Governor 
Bross,  who  had  occupied  that  position  from  the  date  of 
the  retirement  of  Mr.  Scripps,  during  which  time  Mr. 
Medill  was  vice-president.  In  his  will  he  intimated  it 
to  be  his  desire  that  his  stock  in  the  Tribune  Company 
should  be  held  as  a  unit  by  his  descendants  (two  daugh- 
ters and  their  children)  for  the  next  twenty-one  years. 

Mr.  Robert  W.  Patterson,  the  husband  of  Mr. 
Medill's  youngest  daughter,  was  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  company  from  the  demise  of  Mr.  Cowles  in 
December,  1889,  to  the  death  of  Mr.  Medill.  Follow- 
ing the  latter  event,  Mr.  Patterson  was  elected 
president  of  the  company  and  editor-in-chief  of  the 
Tribune,  and  the  position  of  secretary  and  treasurer 
was  taken  by  Mr.  Alfred  Cowles,  son  of  the  man  who 
had  occupied  the  place  from  1861  to  1889.  Mr.  George 
P.  Upton,  the  dean  of  the  editorial  force,  has  been 
vice-president  since  January,  1890. 

In  May,  1869,  the  Tribune  Company  moved  into  a 
new  building  which  it  had  constructed  on  the  site  it 
now  occupies,  the  lot  being  120  feet  on  Madison  and  72 
feet  on  Dearborn  street.  The  structure  was  of  Joliet 
stone,  four  stories  in  height,  and  cost  $225,000.  It  was 


History  of  the  Chicago  Tribune.  235 

supposed  to  be  "fireproof,"  and  for  that  reason  was 
uninsured,  but  went  down  (or  up)  in  the  terrible  heat 
of  the  great  fire  of  October,  1871.  The  publication  of 
the  paper  was  resumed  Wednesday,  October  11,  from  a 
temporary  home  at  No.  15  South  Canal  street,  and  on 
the  first  anniversary  of  the  fire  the  Tribune  was  issued 
from  its  present  building  of  five  stories  in  height, 
which  had  been  erected  by  the  company  at  a  cost  of 
$250,000.  December  1,  1897,  and  subsequently,  the 
company  purchased  the  buildings  occupying  the  sev- 
enty-two feet  next  adjoining  on  the  south,  and  took  a 
lease  of  the  ground  from  the  board  of  education,  the 
whole  being  school  property.  This  makes  a  total  lot 
of  144  feet  on  Dearborn  by  120  feet  on  Madison,  which 
the  company  will  improve  at  a  cost  of  not  less  than 
$400,000,  and  perhaps  considerably  more,  on  plans 
which  were  not  decided  on  at  the  time  this  sketch 
was  written.  The  extension  is  needed  to  provide  for 
the  still  increasing  business  of  the  company,  the  mag- 
nitude of  which,  perhaps,  may  be  inferred  from  the 
unparalleled  fact  that  the  advertising  for  the  year 
ending  with  December,  1899,  footed  up  the  enormous 
aggregate  of  18,929  columns,  which  cost  the  adver- 
tisers a  total  of  $1,119,793. 

Besides  absorbing  the  Gem  of  the  Prairie  early  in  its 
career,  and  the  Democratic  Press  more  than  forty  years 
ago,  the  Tribune  took  in,  by  consolidation  with  its 
weekly  edition  in  1856,  the  Western  Citizen  or  Free  West, 
which  had  been  published  by  Zebina  Eastman,  and  July 
24,  1861,  took  on  the  subscription  list  and  good  will  of 
the  Chicago  Democrat,  the  publication  of  which  had  been 
commenced  November  26,  1833,  by  John  Calhoun  and 
continued  by  "Long  John"  Wentworth,  till  his  old 
enemy,  J.  Y.  Scammon,  forced  him  to  "give  up"  as 
the  only  means  of  escaping  the  payment  of  heavy 
damages  for  libel.  It  may  be  of  interest  to  some 
readers  of  this  sketch  to  be  informed  that  the  alleged 
"libel  "  consisted  in  the  publication  of  a  cartoon repre- 


236  History  of  the  Chicago  Tribune. 

senting  a  number  of  ''wildcats"  in  convention,  the 
face  of  one  of  the  said  "cats "  being  a  fair  likeness  of 
Mr.  Scammon,  the  banker,  and  that  the  term  "wild- 
cat" was  used  in  those  days  to  designate  bank  bills, 
the  redemption  of  which  was  not  regarded  as  very  well 
secured.  By  this  absorption  of  the  Democrat  the 
Tribune  became  the  direct  successor  to  the  first  news- 
paper ever  published  in  Chicago.  Furthermore,  as  no 
one  who  was  engaged  in  editorial  or  reportorial  work 
on  any  Chicago  newspaper  "before  the  war"  of  the 
rebellion  is  now  connected  with  any  other  newspaper 
than  the  Trttnine,  the  writer  feels  justified  in  speaking 
of  the  press  of  those  early  days  in  the  following 
language,  which  substantially  is  a  reproduction  of 
words  written  by  him  for  the  jubilee  number  of  the 
Tribune,  published  June  10,  1897,  on  the  fiftieth  anni- 
versary of  its  first  issue  : 

The  Chicago  Tribune — and  of  course  this  is  true  of 
the  other  papers  of  that  day — was,  previous  to  the  out- 
break of  the  war,  a  much  more  primitive  affair  than  the 
crudest  attempt  at  a  newspaper  now  published  in  this 
city.  And  it  would  have  been  so  if  abundant  capital 
and  journalistic  talent  had  been  available,  which  was 
not  the  case.  There  existed  neither  the  demand  nor 
the  means  for  the  publication  here  of  what  now  would 
be  called  a  good  newspaper.  There  was  no  wish  for 
such  a  thing  till  the  southern  states  undertook  to 
secede,  and  volunteers  began  to  rush  forward  to  the 
defense  of  the  Union.  Then  those  of  the  people  who 
remained  at  home  wanted  the  news,  and  wanted  it 
at  the  earliest  possible  moment.  In  addition  to  the 
great  interest  they  felt  in  the  progress  of  the  struggle 
as  a  whole,  they  were  intensely  anxious  for  the  wel- 
fare of  friends  and  loved  ones  who  had  gone  to  the 
front.  Each  of  many  thousands  of  families  in  this  sec- 
tion had  a  brother,  a  son  or  a  father  in  the  ranks,  and 
their  members  wished  for  the  fullest  information  ob- 
tainable in  regard  to  the  movements  of  small  as  well  as 


History  of  the  Chicago  Inter  Ocean.  237 

large  bodies  of  troops.  With  a  vast  increase  in  cir- 
culation of  the  paper  the  merchants  saw  it  to  be  to 
their  interest  to  advertise  as  they  never  had  done  be- 
fore, and  this  enabled  the  Tribune  to  send  out  corre- 
spondents and  pay  for  the  use  of  the  telegraph  wires  to 
an  extent  not  previously  dreamed  of  as  possible.  Then, 
wide  fluctuations  in  the  values,  first  of  the  bills  issued 
by  private  banks,  and  afterward  of  the  national  cur- 
rency, with  a  vast  development  of  speculation  in  stocks 
and  produce,  made  it  absolutely  necessary  for  thou- 
sands to  read  the  daily  paper  who  previously  had  read 
only  a  weekly  or  none  at  all.  And  so  was  born  the 
journalism  which  to-day  has  grown  up  to  a  lusty  man- 
hood; for  when  once  the  people  found  their  "new  felt 
want"  supplied,  the  appetite  simply  grew  with  what  it 
fed  on.  The  death  of  Mr.  Medill  has  removed  the  last 
one  of  the  men  who  controlled  the  newspapers  of  Chi- 
cago during  the  formative  period,  and  very  few  of  those 
who  were  privileged  to  assist  them  are  left  behind.  It 
needs  not  here  to  speak  of  the  living,  further  than  to 
state  that  the  management  of  the  Tribune  practically  is 
in  the  same  hands  now  as  for  several  years  past,  and 
there  is  no  room  to  doubt  that  it  will  continue  to  be, 
to  quote  from  the  closing  paragraph  of  the  sketch 
written  by  the  late  Governor  Bross  for  the  first  edition 
of  this  work,  "one  of  the  most  influential,  prosperous 
and  powerful  journals  in  the  nation."  It  is,  in  fact, 
one  of  the  very  few  really  great  newspapers  of  the 
world. 

THE  CHICAGO  INTER  OCEAN. 

BY  WM.  H.  BUSBEY. 

The  first  number  of  the  Daily  Inter  Ocean  was 
issued  March  25,  1872.  The  founder  was  Mr.  J.  Young 
Scammon,  an  old,  highly  esteemed  and  public  spirited 
citizen,  who,  realizing  that  there  was  a  demand  for  an 
uncompromising  republican  daily,  purchased  the 
Associated  Press  franchise  of  the  Republican,  which 


238  History  of  the  Chicago  Inter  Ocean. 

had  been  wrecked  in  the  disastrous  fire  of  1871.  To 
keep  the  franchise  alive,  Mr.  Scammon  continued  the 
publication  of  the  Republican  until  all  arrangements 
were  perfected  to  start  the  new  daily,  with  new  men, 
new  type  and  new  machinery. 

The  republicanism  of  the  initial  number  of  the 
Inter  Ocean  was  of  the  most  stalwart  order,  the  propri- 
etor indicating  the  spirit  of  the  paper  in  the  crisp 
declaration:  "  Independent  in  nothing  ;  republican  in 
everything. ' ' 

Mr.  Scammon  went  into  the  enterprise  with  char- 
acteristic zeal  and  energy,  and  calling  to  his  assistance 
a  number  of  practical  and  experienced  men,  soon  made 
the  Inter  Ocean  a  political  power,  not  only  in  the  city 
and  state,  but  throughout  the  northwest. 

Its  radical  republicanism  and  its  devotion  to  the 
party  it  professed  to  represent  were  made  so  manifest 
during  the  presidential  campaign  of  1872  that  it  at 
once  secured  an  influence  in  the  party  not  equaled  by 
many  journals  of  much  longer  standing.  The  erratic 
course  of  other  journals  claiming  to  be  republican  also 
contributed  much  to  the  success  of  the  new  venture, 
and  the  circulation  of  the  paper  increased  rapidly. 

Mr.  Scammon  continued  to  be  sole  proprietor  of 
the  Inter  Ocean  until  the  spring  of  1873,  when  the  Hon. 
F.  W.  Palmer,  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  bought  a  large 
interest  and  became  editor-in-chief.  Under  his  man- 
agement the  paper  prospered  until  the  panic  of  1873 
prostrated  the  affairs  of  the  country  and  caused  the 
financial  embarrassment  of  Mr.  Scammon,  the  principal 
proprietor.  In  the  fall  of  1875  the  corporation,  under 
pressure  of  large  indebtedness,  was  compelled  to 
sell  the  paper  to  a  new  organization.  This  transfer 
placed  the  Inter  Ocean  under  the  control  of  William 
Penn  Nixon,  who  had  been  for  some  years  the  business 
manager. 

Notwithstanding  the  great  depression  of  tne  times, 
the  paper  was  put  on  a  firm  footing  by  the  infusion  of 


History  of  the  Chicago  Inter  Ocean.  239 

new  capital  and  the  introduction  of  new  and  improved 
machinery,  and  entered  upon  a  new  era  of  prosperity. 
Through  all  its  vicissitudes  the  Inter  Ocean  maintained 
its  political  integrity,  constantly  gaining  in  influence 
and  circulation  until  the  aggregate  circulation  of  the 
several  editions  was  probably  larger  than  that  of  any 
other  political  paper  in  the  country.  The  Inter  Ocean 
was  the  first  newspaper  in  the  United  States  to  perfect 
and  use  a  folder,  or  machinery  for  cutting,  pasting  and 
folding,  attached  to  the  press.  This  contrivance  was 
the  invention  of  Mr.  Walter  Scott,  at  that  time  super- 
intendent of  the  Inter  Ocearis  mechanical  department. 
The  Inter  Ocean  was  the  first  newspaper  in  Chicago  to 
print  cable  dispatches  from  London.  It  was  also  the 
first  daily  newspaper  in  Chicago  to  use  illustrations. 

From  1873  to  May  1,  1880,  the  Inter  Ocean  was 
published  at  119  Lake  street.  The  establishment  was 
then  moved  to  more  commodious  and  convenient 
quarters,  in  the  new  Inter  Ocean  building,  85  Madison 
street,  and,  May  1,  1890,  to  the  still  larger  Inter  Ocean 
building  at  the  corner  of  Madison  and  Dearborn  streets. 
In  May,  1891,  Mr.  H.  H.  Kohlsaat  bought  a  controlling 
interest  in  the  Inter  Ocean,  and  became  the  publisher. 
In  May,  1894,  Mr.  Kohlsaat  sold  his  interest  to  Mr. 
William  Penn  Nixon,  who  remained  in  control  of  the 
paper  as  editor  and  publisher  until  November  15,  1897, 
when  Mr.  Charles  T.  Yerkes  purchased  a  controlling 
interest.  Under  the  reorganization,  Mr.  Nixon  was 
continued  as  publisher,  and  Mr.  George  Wheeler  Hin- 
man  was  made  editor-in-chief  and  manager. 

Under  the  new  management,  the  Inter  Ocean  was 
conspicuous  for  its  vigorous  editorial  policy  and  for  its 
improved  news  service.  It  was  one  of  the  first  news- 
papers in  the  United  States  to  urge  a  resolute  war 
policy  in  1898,  and  through  the  Spanish- American  war 
and  the  war  in  the  Philippines  was  the  zealous  sup- 
porter and  defender  of  the  army  and  navy.  It  led  also 
in  the  advocacy  of  the  expansion  policy,  and  undoubt- 


240  History  of  the  Chicago  Chronicle. 

edly  exercised  a  greater  influence  in  shaping  the 
sentiment  of  the  middle  west  than  any  other  newspaper. 
It  was  "always  American  and  always  republican." 

Among  the  things  that  gave  the  Inter  Ocean  in- 
creased prestige  and  influence  was  that  throughout  the 
Spanish  and  Transvaal  wars  it  had  a  superior  and 
exclusive  foreign  and  domestic  news  service.  In  de- 
veloping and  improving  this,  the  Inter  Ocean  purchased 
the  service  of  the  New  York  Sun.  As  the  Associated 
Press  management  had  declared  a  boycott  on  the  Sun, 
the  Inter-  Ocean  became  involved  in  a  controversy  with 
the  Associated  Press.  The  latter,  in  pursuance  of  its 
contention  that  the  boycott  was  legal,  cut  off  the  press 
service  without  notice.  The  Inter  Ocean  made  a  fight 
for  its  rights  and  the  case  was  carried  to  the  Illinois 
Supreme  court,  where  all  the  contentions  of  the  Inter 
Ocean  were  sustained  and  all  its  rights  and  privileges  in 
the  Associated  Press  were  restored.  The  question  of 
damages  was  submitted  to  arbitrators,  who  awarded 
the  Inter  Ocean  $40,500  as  compensation  for  the  arbi- 
trary withholding  of  the  Associated  Press  service  for 
more  than  two  vears. 

w 

The  circulation  of  the  Daily  Inter  Ocean  has  in- 
creased under  the  new  management  100  per  cent.  The 
weekly  edition  has  the  largest  circulation  of  any  politi- 
cal weekly  in  the  west. 


THE  CHICAGO  CHRONICLE. 

BY  CHARLES  G.  SEYMOUR. 

On  the  purchase  of  the  consolidated  Times  and 
Herald,  for  many  years  the  democratic  morning  news- 
papers of  Chicago,  by  a  republican  who  announced  his 
purpose  to  conduct  the  Times-Herald  thereafter  as  a 
republican  newspaper,  the  Chicago  Chronicle  Co. 
was  organized  for  the  purpose  of  publishing  a  demo- 
cratic morning  daily  and  Sunday  newspaper  to  occupy 
the  field  that  had  been  abandoned.  John  R.  Walsh, 
who  had  formerly  been  the  principal  owner  of  the 


History  of  the  Chicago  Chronicle.  241 

Herald,  became  largely  interested  in  the  Chronicle,  and 
gave  it  its  financial  strength.  Horatio  W.  Seymour 
was  publisher  and  Martin  J.  Russell  was  editor,  both 
of  them  being  stockholders  also  in  the  new  enterprise. 
The  first  issue  of  the  Chronicle  appeared  May  28, 

1895.  It  is  probable  that  the  Chronicle  began  business 
better  equipped  mechanically  and  financially  than  any 
other  newspaper  enterprise    of    which    there   is   any 
record.     It  is  published  in  a  five-story  building  at  164 
and  166  Washington  street,  of  which  it  is  the  owner, 
and  its  plant  is  one  of  the  largest  in  the  United  States. 
It  has  twenty -four  typesetting  machines,  and  its  press 
work  is  done  on  six  double  Potter  presses,  each  hav- 
ing an  output  of  20,000  eight-page  newspapers  per  hour. 

From  its  first  issue  the  Chronicle  was  of  regulation 
morning  newspaper  size,  the  issue  being  twelve  pages 
ordinarily  during  the  week,  sixteen  pages  on  Saturday 
and  from  forty  to  forty-eight  pages  on  Sunday.  Within 
seven  months  from  the  date  of  its  first  publication  the 
edition  of  the  Sunday  Chronicle  exceeded  100,000  copies, 
and  it  has  been  maintained  at  that  and  even  a  greater 
figure  most  of  the  time  since. 

While  the  Chronicle  has  been  a  powerful  advocate 
of  democracy  it  has  never  been  an  organ,  and,  owing  to 
its  sound  money  views,  it  was  unable  to  snpport  Mr. 
Bryan,  the  candidate  of  the  regular  democracy  in 

1896.  Aside  from  the  financial  question,  it  has  been 
in  harmony  with  the  democratic  party,  and  it  is  the 
great  newspaper  of  that  political  faith  in  the  northwest. 

Mr.  Seymour,  the  publisher  of  the  Chronicle,  was 
formerly  in  the  employ  of  Wilbur  F.  Storey,  the  owner 
of  the  Chicago  Times,  and  later  was  connected  in  an 
editorial  capacity  for  many  years  with  the  Chicago 
Herald,  in  which  newspaper  he  was  also  a  stockholder. 

In  one  respect  the  six  weeks  during  which  the  con- 
solidated Times  and  Herald  abandoned  their  old  time 
democratic  faith  and  became  republican,  and  the 
Chronicle  came  into  existence,  was  the  most  novel  and 


242  History  of  the  Chicago  American. 

interesting  in  the  history  of  the  Chicago  press.  It  is 
certain  that  never  before  was  an  American  city  of 
2,000,000  of  people  left  without  a  democratic  news- 
paper, and  it  is  probable  that  such  a  circumstance 
never  will  arise  again.  If  the  defection  of  the  Times- 
Herald  was  sudden  and  unexpected,  the  appearance 
and  growth  of  the  Chronicle  was  prompt  and  wonderful. 
Unlike  every  other  great  newspaper  in  the  world,  it 
was  born  great.  It  never  was  small.  Its  financial 
resources  were  large.  Its  equipment  was  extensive. 
Its  field  was  open  and  undisputed.  Its  success  was 
immediate  and  unquestioned. 

As  a  matter  of  information,  valuable  chiefly  to 
newspaper  men  of  the  future  who  may  have  curiosity 
on  the  subject,  it  may  be  stated  that  the  Chronicle 
began  business  with  a  paid  circulation  of  35,000  copies, 
daily  and  Sunday,  a  larger  number  than  many  news- 
papers of  long  standing  in  various  large  American 
cities  ever  have  obtained,  and  this  was  secured  for  its 
first  paid  edition,  wholly  without  canvassing.  It  prop- 
erly represents  and  measures  the  field  that  was  entirely 
abandoned  to  the  new  comer — that  is,  the  number  of 
people  in  Chicago  and  vicinity  who,  without  solicita- 
tion, improved  the  first  opportunity  to  buy  regularly  a 
newspaper  of  their  own  political  faith.  Canvassing 
and  other  energetic  methods  soon  doubled  this  circula- 
tion for  the  daily  Chronicle  and  trebled  it  for  the  Sun- 
day Chronicle. 

The  Chicago  Chronicle  Co.  is  officered  as  follows: 
A.  W.  Green,  vice-president,  and  Horatio  W.  Seymour, 
secretary  and  treasurer.  The  same  gentlemen  con- 
stitute the  board  of  directors. 


THE  CHICAGO  AMERICAN. 

This  is  the  name  of  a   new  daily  newspaper  which 

is  an   aspirant   for   public   favor.     It    is   independent 

democratic  in  principles,  published  by  W.  R.  Hearst, 

edited  by  Andrew  Lawrence.  First  issue,  July  4,  1900. 


History  of  the  Chicago  Times-Herald.        •   243 

THE  CHICAGO  TIMES-HERALD. 

Foremost  among'  the  clean,  progressive  and  dis- 
tinctly modern  newspapers  of  the  country  is  the  Chicago 
Times- Herald.  This  paper  was  formed  by  the  absorp- 
tion of  the  historic  Chicago  Times  by  the  young  giant 
of  journalism,  the  Chicago  Herald,  but  the  union  of  the 
two,  so  far  as  the  Times  was  concerned,  was  nominal 
only. 

The  Times,  at  the  meridian  of  the  life  of  its  founder, 
the  late  Wilbur  F.  Storey,  was  the  greatest  of  the 
Chicago  dailies.  It  was  established  in  1854,  and  at  one 
time  had  an  international  fame.  In  1895,  after  having 
passed  through  the  hands  of  many  different  owners,  it 
was  amalgamated  by  the  late  James  W.  Scott  with  the 
Chicago  Herald,  but  the  consolidation  did  little  more 
than  to  preserve  the  name  of  the  Times,  with  all  its 
associations  and  traditions  of  the  earlier  journalistic 
history  of  Chicago. 

The  Herald  itself  was  founded  in  1881  by  Mr.  Scott, 
who  was  one  of  the  most  ingenious  and  brillant  news- 
paper men  in  America.  The  typographical  beauty  of 
the  new  paper  became  a  proverb  among  the  members 
of  the  craft,  and  this  singularity  of  mechanical  excel- 
lence has  been  fully  maintained  by  the  Times- Herald. 
In  its  tenth  year  the  Herald  was  one  of  the  most  pros- 
perous and  popular  newspapers  in  the  country. 

Mr.  Scott  had  not  yet  succeeded  in  readjusting  the 
affairs  of  the  new  combination  when  he  suddenly  died 
in  New  York,  but  a  few  weeks  after  the  first  appear- 
ance of  the  Times- Her  aid.  This  was  the  situation  when, 
in  April,  1895,  Mr.  H.  H.  Kohlsaat,  formerly  publisher 
of  the  Inter  Ocean,  purchased  the  entire  property,  and 
began  to  issue  the  Times-Herald  in  its  present  form  and 
with  its  present  policy. 

When  Mr.  Kohlsaat  installed  himself  as  editor  of 
Ms  new  journal  he  changed  its  policy  from  that  of  a 
democratic  paper,  with  indeterminate  notions  upon  the 
currency,  to  that  of  an  independent  republican  paper, 


244    .       History  of  the  Chicago  Times-Herald. 

with  unequivocal  and  positive  views  concerning  the 
important  question  of  national  finance. 

He  likewise  altered  the  general  tone  of  the  publi- 
cation, infusing  into  its  management  his  own  concep- 
tions of  a  high  grade  newspaper,  largely  increasing  the 
efficiency  of  the  writing  and  counting  room  forces,  and 
in  other  ways  giving  testimony  in  the  columns  of  the 
Times-Herald  to  the  new  spirit  animating  the  publication. 

Mr.  Kohlsaat  secured  the  Times-Herald  in  good 
time  to  launch  it  into  the  forum  of  politics  one  year 
before  the  historic  campaign  of  1896,  when  the  news- 
paper policies  of  the  country  were  turned  inside  out, 
and  the  dividing  lines  between  the  parties  were  oblit- 
erated by  the  issue  of  free  coinage  of  silver.  From  the 
first  the  attitude  of  the  Times- Herald  could  be  seen  dis- 
tinct, clear  and  unwavering  through  the  dissolving 
views  that  were  cast  on  the  .screen  of  public  opinion 
through  the  stereopticon  of  the  press.  The  Times- 
Herald  wasfacileprinceps  of  sound  money  newspapers. 
Incidentally  it  stood  for  all  the  high  principles  of  good 
government  as  they  were  conceived  by  its  owner. 

Among  the  other  features  developed  in  particular 
strength  by  this  newspaper  are  its  financial  and  com- 
mercial departments.  Contrasted  with  this  is  the  close 
attention  it  pays  to  those  topics  which  interest  the 
intelligent  reader  at  large,  such  as  science,  religion  and 
literature,  thus  combining  qualities  which  distinguish 
it  as  a  newspaper  for  the  business  man  and  the  home. 
Its  activity  and  enterprise  in  getting  the  news  and  its 
perfect  freedom  from  cheap  sensationalism  are  largely 
a  reflection  of  the  character  of  its  editor  and  publisher. 

The  Times-Herald  is  as  mechanically  perfect  as  the 
limitations  of  practical  journalism  allow.  The  Times- 
Herald  building,  at  154  Washington  street,  is  the  most 
completely  appointed  newspaper  building  in  the  world. 
Its  doors  are  open  at  all  times  to  visitors,  who  will  find 
an  inspection  of  the  premises  and  an  examination  into 
the  processes  by  which  a  great  daily  is  produced  every 


History  of  the  Chicago  Evening  Post.  245 

twenty-four  hours  a  most  gratifying-  object  lesson  in 
this  most  interesting1  and  vital  industry. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CHICAGO  EVENING  POST. 

The  first  issue  of  the  Chicago  Evening  Post  appeared 
April  29,  1890.  It  was  founded  by  the  late  James  W. 
Scott,  who  believed  there  was  room  in  Chicago  for  a 
high  class  evening  newspaper — one  that  should  be  con- 
servative as  well  as  enterprising,  and,  above  all  things, 
clean — and  his  wisdom  has  since  been  demonstrated. 
The  literary  excellence  and  superb  news  service  of  the 
Evening  Post  gave  the  paper  a  hold  upon  its  readers  that 
enabled  it  to  sell  for  two  cents  when  every  other  Eng- 
lish daily  in  Chicago — both  morning  and  evening — 
dropped  to  a  penny.  The  people  who  were  in  the  habit 
of  reading  it  wanted  it,  whether  the  cost  was  one  or 
two  cents,  and  this  has  given  it  a  spirit  of  independ- 
ence greater  than  that  seen  in  any  other  Chicago 
newspaper.  Unaffected  by  the  changing  methods  of 
its  contemporaries,  it  maintains  the  even  tenor  of  its 
way,  for  it  has  a  patronage  that  cannot  easily  be  taken 
from  it. 

Changes  in  the  business  and  editorial  policy  of  the 
Evening  Post  have  been  few  and  well  considered.  It  has 
issued  several  special  editions,  when  circumstances 
have  seemed  to  warrant  it,  and  they  have  invariably 
been  successful.  The  memorial  edition  at  the  close 
of  the  Spanish-American  war — in  effect  a  tribute  to 
the  Illinois  soldiers — was  a  good  illustration  of  this, 
but  perhaps  the  most  noteworthy  special  issues  have 
been  the  annual  book  numbers.  The  paper  always 
has  given  particular  attention  to  book  reviews,  and 
of  recent  years  has  issued  special  book  numbers  pre- 
vious to  the  opening  of  the  holiday  trade.  These  were 
an  extraordinary  success  from  the  beginning.  They 
are  highly  prized  both  by  readers  and  publishers. 
The  former  were  enabled  to  quickly  learn  the  merits 
of  the  recently  published  books,  and  the  latter  could 


246  History  of  the  Chicago  Evening  Post. 

ask  no  better  opportunity  to  present  their  claims  to 
patronage  to  the  book  buying  public,  for  it  is  among 
discriminating  readers  that  the  paper  has  its  circulation. 

Since  its  first  issue  the  Evening  Post  has  had  three 
homes.  Its  start  in  life  was  made  at  128  Fifth  avenue. 
Mr.  Scott  had  been  successful  with  the  Herald,  and  he 
deemed  the  time  ripe  for  the  establishment  of  an  even- 
ing paper  that  should  especially  appeal  to  the  intelli- 
gent people.  Most  of  the  evening  papers  of  that  time 
were  little  more  than  bulletins  of  the  day's  goings, 
filled  up  with  miscellany,  and  he  desired  to  publish  a 
news  paper,  one  that  would  compare  favorably  in  every 
respect  with  the  morning  papers.  He  chose  for  his 
managing  editor  Cornelius  McAuliff,  who  had  been  his 
night  editor  on  the  Herald,  and  consequently  had  had 
an  extended  and  valuable  newspaper  experience.  Mr. 
McAuliff  conducted  the  paper  through  the  early  trials 
that  all  journalistic  ventures  encounter  (although  they 
were  fewer  than  usual  in  this  case)  and  remained  with 
it  until  Herman  H.  Kohlsaat  bought  both  publications 
in  1895.  Meanwhile  a  change  had  been  made  from  128 
Fifth  avenue  to  164  Washington  street.  An  old  build- 
ing standing  there  had  been  purchased  and  remodeled, 
and  it  continued  to  be  the  home  of  the  Evening  Post 
until  sold  to  the  Chronicle  when  the  latter  paper  was 
established. 

Mr.  Kohlsaat  came  into  possession  of  the  two 
papers  that  had  belonged  to  Mr.  Scott  in  April,  1895, 
and  about  May  1,  of  that  year,  he  invited  Mr.  McAuliff 
to  the  managing  editorship  of  the  Times-Herald  and  in- 
stalled Samuel  T.  Clover,  who  had  been  business  man- 
ager of  the  Evening  Post,  as  managing  editor  of  his 
evening  paper.  A  little  later  the  paper  was  transferred 
to  the  Times-Herald  building,  from  which  it  has  been 
published  ever  since.  Under  the  general  management 
of  Mr.  Kohlsaat,  the  editor-in-chief,  and  the  direct  super- 
vision of  Mr.  Clover,  the  features  that  have  so  greatly 
added  to  the  popularity  of  the  Evening  Post  were  estab- 


History  of  Die  Freie  Presse  of  Chicago.        247 

lished  and  developed.  It  neglects  no  legitimate  depart- 
ment, but  it  gives  special  attention  to  those  that  appeal 
most  strongly  to  the  intellectual,  financial  and  solid 
business  interests.  It  has  proved  itself  the  home  paper, 
presenting  all  the  news,  and  yet  devoid  of  sensational- 
ism, enterprising,  attractive  typographically,  of  liter- 
ary excellence  and  conservative  in  the  sense  that  its 
aim  is  above  all  things  to  be  reliable  and  to  eliminate 
those  features  that  make  a  man  hesitate  to  take  a  paper 
home  with  him.  The  book  numbers,  to  which  reference 
has  been  made,  were  first  published  and  have  since 
grown  in  importance  under  the  present  management, 
and  in  addition  particular  attention  has  been  given  to 
educational  matters.  The  paper  also  has  a  large  staff 
of  special  writers,  which  materially  adds  to  its  interest 
and  attractiveness.  

DIE  FREIE  PRESSE  OP  CHICAGO. 

BY  MAX  EBERHARDT. 

The  first  number  of  the  Freie  Presse  was  issued 
in  Chicago  July  2,  1871.  It  was  then  published  as  a 
weekly,  and  was  in  sympathy  with  the  liberal  wing  of 
the  republican  party,  and  subsequently  proved  a  very 
keen  and  able  advocate  of  the  movement  which,  as  we 
all  know,  resulted  in  the  nomination  of  Horace  Greeley 
for  the  presidency.  The  great  fire,  which  occurred  not 
many  months  after  the  paper  had  been  started,  interfered 
with  the  issue  of  but  one  number.  The  paper  was  pub- 
lished as  a  weekly  until  February  5,  1872,  when  it 
began  to  be  issued  as  a  daily  and  weekly,  besides  hav- 
ing a  separate  issue  on  Sunday.  Though  started  with- 
out the  aid  of  much  capital,  its  rapid  growth  and 
success  as  a  ready  spokesman,  and  an  unflinching  advo- 
cate of  a  broad,  liberal  policy  within  the  republican 
party,  are  but  evidence  of  the  energy  and  perseverance 
which  Mr.  Michaelis  has  devoted  to  the  business  and 
editorial  management  of  the  paper.  It  is  now  being 
published  by  the  German  American  Publishing  Co., 
and  employs  108  persons  in  its  various  departments. 


248  History  of  the  Chicago  Journal. 

It  still  maintains  its  position  as  an  independent  repub- 
lican newspaper,  and  provides  a  larger  number  of  Ger 
mans  with  reading  matter  than  any  German  newspaper 
concern  in  the  country.  The  Freie  Presse  is  entirely 
free  from  debt,  and  its  business  is  managed  on  a  sound 
financial  basis,  and  with  a  view  to  a  ready  and  strict 
discharge  of  all  its  obligations.  It  is  one  of  the  many 
enterprises  in  the  city  of  Chicago  which  testify  to  the 
rapid  growth,  not  only  of  the  western  metropolis,  but 
of  the  entire  northwest. 

During  recent  years  the  paper,  in  point  of  politics, 
•has  followed  a  more  independent  course.  It  had  be- 
come dissatisfied  with  the  policy  and  management  of 
the  republican  party.  More  recently  the  Freie  Presse 
supported  the  democratic  party  in  local  and  national 
elections. 

HISTORY   OF   THE  CHICAGO   JOURNAL. 

It  was  away  back  in  the  days  when  Chicago  had  a 
village  government  and  about  4,000  people  that  the 
spirit  of  the  early  settlers  demanded  a  daily  paper,  and 
the  Chicago  Journal  was  born.  This  publication  was 
built  upon  the  failure  of  others.  With  its  very  first 
period  of  success  and  permanency,  it  was  identified 
with  that  plucky  and  gifted  family  of  Wilsons,  in  which 
name  and  ownership  it  has  carried  good  tidings  and 
bad  to  the  ever  increasing  population  of  Chicago  and 
the  middle  west,  lo!  these  nearly  sixty  years. 

The  whig  spirit  of  primitive  Chicago  first  found 
expression  through  the  Chicago  American,  in  1839. 
This  gave  way  to  the  Express,  in  1842.  On  April  20, 
1844,  that  paper  was  sold  to  the  coterie  of  pioneers 
who  began  the  publication  of  the  Chicago  Journal 
April  22,  1844. 

The  Henry  Clay  campaign  was  on  at  the  time,  and 
Polk,  the  rival  candidate,  was  supported  by  the  Morn- 
ing Democrat,  the  organ  of  John  Wentworth.  Here 
began  the  great  political  career  of  the  Chicago  Journal. 


History  of  the  Chicago  Journal.  249 

It  has  hammered  democracy  ever  since,  and  put  a  cap 
sheaf  on  its  political  services  by  its  brilliant  support  of 
the  republican  ticket  and  leaders  in  the  campaign  of 
1900, 'just  closed. 

But  that  period  of  the  Chicago  Journal's  existence 
around  which  centers  the  greatest  fascination  for  the 
student  of  history  covers  the  years  from  its  founding 
up  to  1850.  Those  were  the  days  of  the  pioneers. 
Those  were  the  days  of  plank  roads  over  the  sloughs 
in  Chicago.  During  that  period  the  Illinois  and  Michi- 
gan canal  was  constructed.  It  was  in  that  period 
that  the  first  locomotive  was  brought  to  Chicago  by 
a  lake  schooner.  Then  it  was  that  the  first  tele- 
graph line  connected  Chicago  with  Detroit  and  New 
York.  In  this  period  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade  was 
organized.  Then  it  was  that  Chicago  first  attempted 
to  build  water  works.  In  those  years  the  ferries  be- 
gan to  give  way  to  bridges  over  the  Chicago  river. 
Then  it  was  that  the  foundations  of  the  Chicago  public 
school  system  were  laid.  In  that  period  Chicago 
passed  through  its  first  terrible  scourge  of  cholera. 
With  all  of  these  questions  the  Chicago  Journal  had  a 
part.  It  was  the  champion  of  every  improvement  of 
the  Chicago  of  the  40' s,  and  no  man  can  tell  how  much 
of  the  best  in  all  that  makes  the  greater  Chicago  of 
1900  may  be  traced  to  the  clear  headed  policy  of  the 
Chicago  Journal  during  that  formative  period. 

During  the  decade  from  1850  to  1860  the  Chicago 
Journal  widened  its  influence,  while  it  met  with  the  loss 
of  one  of  the  guiding  minds  of  its  earlier  career.  The 
Journal  advocated  the  annexation  of  Hawaii  early  in  the 
50' s.  In  1853  it  branded  the  act  of  the  legislature  in 
prohibiting  immigration  of  free  negroes  to  the  state  as 
the  "grossest  law  that  defiles  our  statute  books."  It 
was  late  in  the  50's  that  the  Journal  became  the  early 
and  vigorous  champion  of  the  republican  party,  then 
struggling  for  existence.  Then  and  there  its  fearless 
editors  and  publishers  proclaimed  for  protection  and 


250  History  of  the  Chicago  Journal. 

for  civil  liberty,  and  for  nearly  forty  years  its  pages 
have  been  constant1  in  their  support  of  men  and  meas- 
ures represented  by  republican  platforms.  It  was 
Charles  L.  Wilson,  editor  of  the  Journal,  who  intro- 
duced in  the  Illinois  convention  this  resolution:  "  Re- 
solved that  Abraham  Lincoln  is  the  first,  last  and  only 
choice  for  United  States  senator  in  place  of  Stephen  A. 
Douglas."  It  was  on  Mr.  Wilson's  suggestion  that  the 
famous  Lincoln-Douglas  debates  were  arranged.  It 
was  through  the  Journal  editor's  personal  influence 
that  William  H.  Seward  was  induced  to  come  west  and 
aid  in  the  election  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  It  was 
through  the  columns  of  the  Chicago  Journal  that  Chi- 
cago and  the  west  got  first  intimations  of  the  ap- 
proaching civil  war. 

The  war  period  of  the  60' s  formed  another  distinct 
epoch  in  the  Chicago  Journal's  history.  President  Lin- 
coln recognizing  the  Journal  influence,  appointed  its 
brilliant  editor,  Secretary  of  Legation  to  the  Court  of 
St.  James,  London.  The  inimitable  Benjamin  F.  Taylor 
became  chief  war  correspondent  at  the  front.  His 
writings  in  the  Journal  columns  gave  him  world  wide 
fame,  and  no  publication  west  of  the  Ohio  river  was  so 
close  to  the  homes  and  hearts  of  the  western  people. 

The  Journal,  like  all  other  Chicago  papers,  lowered 
its  price  from  five  cents  to  two  cents  back  in  the  80's. 
Later,  with  nearly  all  others,  it  became  a  one-cent 
paper.  But  its  character  was  not  changed  except  to 
modernize  and  popularize  the  paper,  which  continued 
to  hold  the  choicest  patronage  of  Chicago  merchants, 
and  to  be  constantly  read  by  thousands  who  had  been 
friends  and  patrons  before  the  fire,  before  the  war, 
even  before  many  of  the  present  generation  were  born. 
To-day  the  Chicago  Journal  is  bright,  clean  and  forcible, 
and  is  found  on  the  right  side  of  every  public  question. 
Like  wine,  it  appears  to  improve  with  age. 

When  the  Chicago  Journal  was  established  in  1844 
the  staff  consisted  of  the  following :  The  editorial  com- 


History  of  the  Chicago  Journal.  •    251 

mittee — J.  Lisle  Smith,  William  H.  Brown,  George  W. 
Meeker,  J.  Y.  Scammon  and  Grant  Goodrich,  assisted 
by  J.  W.  Norris  and  Richard  L.  Wilson  as  office  editors 
and  business  managers.  After  the  election,  which 
resulted  in  the  defeat  of  Mr.  Clay,  Richard  L.  Wilson 
purchased  the  controlling  interest  in  the  Journal,  and 
was  its  editor-in-chief  until  1849,  when  he  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  of  Chicago  by  President  Taylor. 
But  he  again  resumed  his  editorial  duties  after  his 
removal  by  President  Pilmore,  the  firm  name  being 
Richard  L.  and  Charles  L.  Wilson.  Richard  L.  Wilson 
died  in  December,  1856,  and  his  brother,  Charles  L., 
became  sole  proprietor.  The  staff  was  then  made  up 
as  follows  :  Andrew  Shuman,  associate  editor  ;  George 
P.  Upton,  city  and  commercial  reporter,  and  Benjamin 
F.  Taylor,  literary  editor. 

In  1861  President  Lincoln  appointed  Mr.  Wilson 
secretary  to  the  American  legation  at  the  court  of  St. 
James,  London,  and  between  this  date  and  1864  the 
paper  was  managed  by  John  L.  Wilson,  an  older  brother. 
From  1864  until  1869  the  two  brothers  conducted  the 
Journal  jointly,  when  John  L.  retired  in  favor  of  Col. 
Henry  W.  Farrar,  his  son-in-law,  who  was  on  General 
Sheridan's  staff,  while  the  latter  had  his  headquarters 
in  Chicago. 

When  the  great  fire  of  1871  proved  so  disastrous  to 
Chicago  the  Journal  building,  with  most  of  its  contents, 
was  burned.  But  with  true  western  enterprise  its  pub- 
lishers rented  a  small  job  office  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  and  that  evening,  October  9,  Chicagoans  read  their 
paper  at  the  usual  hour,  the  Journal  being  the  only 
paper  to  come  out.  Another  fire  destroyed  the  Journal 
on  December  1,  1883,  and  again  the  Journal  was  pub- 
lished at  the  regular  time  without  any  assistance  from 
the  outside,  though  much  was  offered. 

The  Journal  was  among  the  first  to  materially  assist 
in  rebuilding  the  heart  of  the  business  district  following 
the  great  fire.  By  April,  1872.  it  had  its  six-story  mar- 


252  History  of  the  Chicago  Journal. 

ble  front  building  at  159  and  161  Dearborn  street,  ready 
for  occupancy.  This  was  its  home  for  nearly  a  quarter 
of  a  century.  In  1895  the  Journal  occupied  quarters  at 
120  Fifth  avenue  while  a  new  and  larger  home  was 
erected.  In  1896  the  paper  was  moved  into  the  new 
Journal  building  at  160  and  162  Washington  street,  its 
present  home.  This  twelve-story  marble  and  stone 
structure,  side  by  side  with  the  elegant  Times-Herald 
building,  is  one  of  the  finest  newspaper  sites  in  the 
west. 

Charles  L.  Wilson  died  in  March,  1878,  in  San  An- 
tonio, Tex.,  and  the  controlling  interest  of  the  Journal 
passed  into  the  hands  of  his  widow  and  daughter.  A 
reorganization  of  the  firm  then  took  place,  with  An- 
drew Shuman,  who  was  lieutenant-governor  of  Illinois 
from  1876  to  1880,  as  president  and  editor-in-chief,  and 
Henry  W.  Farrar,  business  manager. 

On  March  1,  J.  R.  Wilson,  a  nephew  of  Charles  L., 
leased  the  property.  Later  he  became  principal  owner 
and  publisher,  having  associated  with  him  Mr.  Shuman 
as  editor-in-chief  and  W.  K.  Sullivan  as  managing 
editor.  In  1888  Mr.  Shuman  retired.  Shortly  after- 
ward Mr.  Sullivan  gave  up  editorial  management,  to 
accept  the  consulship  to  the  Bermuda  islands,  by  ap- 
pointment of  President  Harrison.  He  was  succeeded 
by  George  Martin.  Later  Slason  Thompson  succeeded 
Mr.  Martin,  and  he  continued  until  1896. 

In  1895  the  Journal  was  purchased  by  the  Evening 
Press  Co.,  composed  of  George  G.  Booth  and  James  E. 
Scripps,  of  Detroit,  and  Ralph  H.  Booth,  of  Chicago. 
George  G.  Booth  became  president  and  treasurer,  and 
Ralph  H.  Booth,  secretary  and  manager.  In  1897  W. 
H.  Turner  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  property,  re- 
maining as  general  manager  until  1900.  In  September 
of  that  year  James  E.  Scripps  was  elected  president, 
and  Ralph  H.  Booth,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
company.  Mr.  Booth  took  active  charge  of  the  paper 
as  publisher. 


History  of  the  Illinois  Staats  Zeitung.          253 

THE  ILLINOIS  STAATS  ZEITUNG. 
BY  PHIL  H.  DILG. 

The  rapid  growth  of  Chicago  is  not  exemplified  in 
a  better  way  than  by  the  increase  in  wealth,  in  influence 
and  in  political  power  of  the  press  of  Chicago.  Where 
but  less  than  a  generation  ago  the  press,  if  it  be  even 
worthy  of  that  name,  was  of  doubtful  existence  and  of 
no  importance  whatever,  the  press  of  to-day  compares 
most  favorably  in  stability  and  in  standing  with  that  of 
any  city  in  the  world. 

This  is  not  only  the  case  with  the  English  press, 
but  it  is  also  the  case  with  the  German  press,  of  which 
the  Illinois  Staats  Zeitung r,  the  exponent  of  the  princi- 
ples of  the  German- Americans  of  the  northwest,  is  the 
representative. 

The  Illinois  Staats  Zeitung  was  founded  in  the 
spring  of  1848,  by  Robert  Hoeffgen,  the  entire  capital 
invested  amounting  to  $200. 

Mr.  Hoeffgen  was  assisted  by  an  apprentice,  who 
received  seventy-five  cents  per  week.  In  those  days  it 
was  incumbent  upon  the  proprietor  of  the  newspaper, 
not  only  to  direct  the  general  management,  but  to  do 
nearly,  if  not  all,  the  work. 

At  first  the  Illinois  Staats  Zeitung  appeared  as  a 
weekly,  thus  enabling  one  man  to  do  all  the  work.  Mr. 
Hoeffgen  collected  the  advertisements  and  solicited 
subscriptions,  set  his  own  type,  ran  his  own  press,  and, 
having  completed  his  paper  indoors,  started  out  upon 
the  street  with  his  entire  edition  under  his  arm.  to  dis- 
tribute the  same  to  his  subscribers.  It  might  be  cited 
as  an  example  worthy  of  emulation  at  the  present  time, 
when  the  price  of  paper  is  agitating  the  minds  of  pub- 
lishers, that  subscribers  were  requested  to  send  in 
rags  to  pay  for  their  subscriptions,  these  in  turn  being 
traded  to  the  dealer  in  print  paper.  In  this  way  the 
rags  were  saved,  and  the  publisher  always  received 
more  for  his  paper  in  rags  than  he  would  have  got  in 
cash. 


254  History  of  the  Illinois  Staats  Zeitung. 

In  the  fall  of  1848,  Dr.  Hellmuth  then  being  the 
editor,  the  Illinois  Staats  Zeitung  was  the  only  German 
newspaper  in  the  United  States  to  discover  in  the 
Buffalo  platform  the  principles  upon  which  afterwards 
was  founded  the  Republican  party.  The  county  of 
Cook  gave  Van  Buren  a  majority  of  1,200,  no  little 
credit  of  which  is  due  to  the  Illinois  Staats  Zeitung  for  its 
stanch  and  unswerving  advocacy  of  the  principles  laid 
down  in  that  campaign.  After  the  presidential  election, 
Arno  Voss  was  the  editor,  who  was  succeeded  in  1849 
by  Herman  Kriege,  and  in  1850  Dr.  Hellmuth  again 
assumed  the  editorial  management.  Under  his  charge 
the  paper  appeared  twice  a  week  until  August  25,  1851, 
when  Geo.  Schneider  became  connected  with  the  paper, 
who  changed  it  into  a  daily,  with  but  seventy  subscrib- 
ers, its  weekly  list  being  only  a  little  over  200. 

In  1853  the  circulation  of  the  Illinois  Staats  Zeitung 
had  increased  to  300,  which  necessitated  the  employ- 
ment of  the  three  carriers,  one  of  whom  is  still  to- 
day in  the  employ  of  the  company.  Within  the  same 
territory  where  formerly  there  were  but  100  subscrib- 
ers, now  there  are  3,400.  In  1854  the  number  of  sub- 
scribers had  increased  to  800. 

Geo.  Hillgaertner  was  at  this  time  associated  with 
Geo.  Schneider.-  As  the  Illinois  Staats  Zeitung  was  the 
first  German  paper  to  discover  the  cardinal  principles  of 
the  republican  party  in  the  Buffalo  platform,  so  it  was 
the  first  to  oppose  the  Nebraska  bill,  and  to  begin  the 
determined  opposition  to  Douglas.  It  was  mainly  in- 
strumental in  leading  the  Germans  into  the  republican 
party,  and,  in  1856,  w.as  using  its  utmost  endeavors  in 
behalf  of  Fremont.  In  that  ever  memorable  campaign 
between  Lincoln  and  Douglas,  in  1858,  no  paper  did 
more  for  the  success  of  Mr.  Lincoln  than  the  Illinois 
Staats  Zeitung^  because  the  Germans  held  the  balance 
of  power. 

From  this  time  on  began  to  develop  the  influence 
of  the  Illinois  Staats  Zeitung.  It  has  been  often  felt  in 


History  of  the  Illinois  Staats  Zeitung.          255 

the  common  council,  the  legislature,  but  especially  in 
political  movements  in  Cook  county,  for  more  than  once 
has  it  been  opposed  by  the  entire  Anglo-American  press, 
and  yet  has  carried  the  day.- 

In  1861  Mr.  Wm.  Rapp  became  editor  of  the 
Illinois  Staats  Zeitung.  In  the  same  year  Mr.  Lorenz 
Brentano  bought  out  Mr.  Hoeffgen's  interest  and 
assumed  the  editorial  management.  In  the  following 
year  Mr.  George  Schneider  sold  his  interest  to  Mr. 
A.  C.  Hesiiig.  Messrs.  Brentano  and  Hesing  were 
associated  together  until  1867,  when  Mr.  A.  C.  Hesing 
purchased  Mr.  Brentano's  interest.  In  this  year  Mr. 
Herman  Raster  was  engaged  as  chief  editor,  which 
position  he  filled  until  his  death,  on  July  25,  1891,  when 
Mr.  William  Rapp  became  his  successor. 

The  great  fire  in  1871  claimed  the  Illinois  Staats 
Zeitung  as  one  of  the  victims.  Its  loss  was  total,  yet 
it  was  among  the  first  of  the  Chicago  dailies  to  appear, 
and  that,  too,  within  forty-eight  hours  after  the  fire 
had  ceased.  Preparations  were  soon  made  for  perma- 
nent quarters.  On  March  10,  1873,  the  present  impos- 
ing structure,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Washington 
street  and  Fifth  avenue,  was  completed  and  occupied. 
The  cost  of  the  same,  with  machinery,  presses,  etc., 
amounted  to  nearly  $300,000. 

After  having  moved  into  its  new  commodious  quar- 
ters, the  Illinois  Staats  Zeitung  developed  itself  more 
and  more  into  an  organ  of  great  political  influence, 
which  was  particularly  demonstrated  during  the  mem- 
orable municipal  campaign  of  1873,  when,  in  opposition 
to  Mayor  Medill  and  to  his  strong  enforcement  of  Sun- 
day laws,  especially  obnoxious  to  the  German- Ameri- 
cans, Mr.  A.  C.  Hesing  organized  the  so  called  people's 
party  and  gained  a  glorious  victory  by  electing  Mayor 
Colvin  with  an  overwhelming  majority. 

In  national  politics  the  Illinois  Staats  Zeitung,  almost 
without  exception,  was  on  the  winning  side  in  support- 


256  History  of  the  Economist. 

ing  those  presidential  candidates  who  proved  to  be  the 
choice  of  the  people. 

On  March  31,  1895,  the  paper  suffered  a  severe  loss 
by  the  death  of  Mr.  A.  C.  Hesing,  who  had  been  the 
leading  spirit  of  the  business  for  so  many  years.  Only 
two  and  a  half  years  later,  on  December  17,  1897,  his 
son,  Washington  Hesing,  who  had  succeeded  him  as 
president  of  the  company,  was  also  suddenly  taken 
away,  after  which  sad  event  Mr.  William  Rapp  became 
president  of  the  company. 

January  1,  1894,  Mr.  Joseph  Brucker,  one  of  the 
foremost  German  journalists  of  the  country,  was  added 
to  the  editorial  staff  of  the  paper.  After  the  demise  of 
Mr.  Washington  Hesing,  Mr.  Brucker  became  manag- 
ing editor,  and  he  has  from  that  time  on  been  to  a  con- 
siderable degree  instrumental  in  shaping  the  political 
course  of  the  paper.  In  1898  a  reorganization  of  the 
Illinois  Staats  Zeitung  Co.  took  place  by  the  election 
of  the  present  officers,  with  the  Hon.  Judge  Theodore 
Brentano,  a  son  of  the  late  Mr.  Lorenz  Brentano,  as 
president. 

THE  ECONOMIST. 

The  Economist,  published  every  Saturday  morning, 
represents  the  financial,  commercial  and  real  estate  in- 
terests of  Chicago,  and  aims  to  present  to  its  readers 
all  of  the  world's  economic  happenings  that  have  any 
considerable  significance. 

The  first  number  of  this  publication  was  issued 
October  20,  1888.  Its  founder  was  Clinton  B.  Evans, 
whose  previous  experience  was  that  of  financial  editor 
of  the  Chicago  Tribune  for  five  years  and  before  that 
a  worker  for  ten  years  in  various  positions  on  the 
Republican,  of  Springfield,  Mass.,  a  newspaper  made 
famous  by  Samuel  Bowles.  Among  his  associates  in 
the  editorial  conduct  of  the  Economist  have  been  H.  W. 
Culbertson,  J.  H.  McEldowney,  F.  A.  Vanderlip  and 
Will  Payne.  Mr.  Vanderlip  is  well  known  as  assistant 


History  of  the  Economist.  257 

secretary  of  the  treasury  under  Lyman  J.  Gage,  and 
Mr.  Payne  has  won  credit  as  a  writer  of  novels.  The 
proprietorship  of  the  paper  is  in  a  corporation,  a  ma- 
jority of  the  stock  being  owned  by  Mr.  Evans. 

The  Economist  has  grown  with  the  growth  of  Chi- 
cago. Starting  with  sixteen  pages,  it  has  run  up  at 
times  as  high  as  fifty-four  pages  in  its  regular 
issue,  though  the  usual  measure  is  thirty-two  pages. 
Its  size  is  determined  by  the  size  of  current  events  in 
its  field.  The  late  Moses  P.  Handy,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  journalists  of  his  time,  once  stated  that  the 
Economist  was  the  only  weekly  newspaper  he  ever  heard 
of  that  undertook  to  compete  with  daily  newspapers  in 
reporting  news.  It  is  the  practice  of  the  office  to  pub- 
lish special  issues  whenever  news  of  commanding  im- 
portance in  its  line  requires.  At  the  close  of  every 
year  an  Annual  Number  is  delivered  to  subscribers, 
which  sets  forth  the  leading  events  of  the  past  twelve 
months,  with  description  of  the  status  of  economic 
affairs  the  world  over.  The  "  Investors'  Manual  "  is  a 
volume  published  during  the  spring,  which  deals  with 
the  finances  of  corporations. 

The  Economist  is  in  the  main  divided  into  five 
departments — the  general  description  of  the  world's 
economic  affairs  under  the  head  of  "The  Business 
Situation"  and  other  editorial  articles,  "The  Grain 
and  Provisions  Market,"  "Money  and  Securities  in 
Chicago,"  "General  Investment  News"  and  "The 
Real  Estate  Market."  The  correlation  of  facts,  price 
quotations,  statistical  tables,  sharp  news  announce- 
ments and  occasional  expression  of  opinion  character- 
ize these  departments,  and  from  time  to  time  interest- 
ing specialties  of  one  sort  and  another  are  presented. 
The  Economist  maintains  close  relations  with  the  lead- 
ing makers  of  business  events,  and  has  had  a  good 
measure  of  success  in  its  effort  to  give  to  the  public 
the  best  in  the  way  of  thought  and  achievement  that 
class  has  produced.  To  its  advertising  columns  noth- 


258  History  of  the  Economist. 

ing  is  ever  knowingly  admitted  which  is  out  of  line 
with  legitimate  purpose  and  method.  "  Bucket  shop  " 
advertisements  are  always  refused. 

The  economic  history  of  Chicago  can  be  pretty 
satisfactorily  read  in  the  files  of  the  Economist  for  the 
past  twelve  years;  and  indeed  the  principal  business 
events  of  the  world  during  that  time  are  recorded  there. 
The  tides  in  Chicago  have  been  powerful — too  buoyant 
in  their  flow  and  desolating  in  their  ebb.  The  growth 
of  the  city's  business  is  without  parallel  in  history, 
and  this  has  created  in  many  instances  an  extravagant 
presumption  that  any  undertaking  is  bound  to  succeed. 
The  city's  markets  for  agricultural  products  are  per- 
haps the  central  point  in  its  business,  but  its  railroad 
interests  are  on  a  great  scale,  and  in  general  merchan- 
dising, magnitude  and  rapid  growth  have  been  its  dis- 
tinguishing characteristics.  Financial  interests  of 
vast  proportions  have  grown  up.  The  tables  of  bank 
statistics  will  be  examined  by  the  historical  student 
with  much  satisfaction.  The  capital  and  deposits 
handled  by  these  institutions  have  piled  up  so  rapidly 
that  in  the  past  twelve  years  Chicago  has  passed  from 
the  status  of  an  inconsequential  interior  town  to' that 
of  a  cosmopolitan  city,  lending  its  money  in  two  hemi- 
spheres. 

Successful  and  widely  known  financial  weeklies  are 
very  few,  because  the  finances  of  the  world  are,  and 
ever  must  be,  controlled  but  by  few  persons,  while  the 
diversified  moral,  political  and  religious  sentiments 
and  ambitions  of  the  world  are  held  within  the  toils  of 
an  army  of  advocates.  In  Chicago,  with  the  dailies 
devoting  so  much  attention  to  financial  subjects, 
the  field  appeared  to  many  at  the  outset  to  be  nearly 
barren.  Whether  there  was  such  a  field  or  the  Econo- 
mist created  it,  the  journalistic  and  pecuniary  success 
of  the  paper  has  justified  its  existence. 


Chicago  Daily  News  and  the  Chicago  Record.     259 

HISTORY  OF  THE  CHICAGO  DAILY  NEWS 

AND  THE  CHICAGO  RECORD. 
The  first  copy  of  the  Chicago  Daily  News  was  issued 
December  23,  1875.  It  was  the  first  one-cent  newspaper 
published  in  Chicago.  The  founders  of  the  new  publi- 
cation were  Melville  E.  Stone,  Percy  Meggy  and  Will- 
iam E.  Dougherty.  The  latter  two  gentlemen  soon 
became  discouraged  over  the  prospects  of  the  strug- 
gling sheet,  and  sold  their  interests  to  Mr.  Stone,  who 
in  turn  sold  the  entire  property  to  Victor  F.  Lawson. 
Later,  Mr.  Stone  again  acquired  a  third  interest  in  the 
property,  and  the  two  owners  directed  all  their  energies 
to  making  the  News  a  success.  They  accomplished  their 
purpose.  Mr.  Stone  conducted  the  editorial  depart- 
ment, while  Mr.  Lawson  managed  the  business  affairs 
of  the  paper.  Each  was  a  genius  in  his  own  line,  and 
the  effect  of  their  joint  efforts  was  that  the  paper  be- 
came a  phenomenal  success. 

The  purpose  of  the  founders  of  the  Daily  News  was 
to  establish  a  paper  the  price  of  which  should  be  the 
lowest  unit  of  American  coinage,  so  that  no  one  could 
get  below  them  in  price;  then  to  make  it  just  as  good 
in  point  of  news  as  any  higher  priced  paper  in  the  city; 
to  let  its  price  alone  carry  it  to  the  lower  classes  of 
society,  and  make  its  tone  as  high  as  that  of  any  paper, 
feeling  assured  that  its  price  would  take  care  of  the 
lower  classes,  and  relying  upon  its  tone  to  give  it  char- 
acter among  the  better  classes.  Their  idea,  in  brief, 
was  to  give  a  five-cent  paper  for  one  cent;  and  they 
believed  there  was  a  fortune  in  it.  The  ideal  they  had 
in  view  for  the  Daily  News  involved  other  radical 
changes.  All  the  other  Chicago  papers  mixed  their  ad- 
vertising and  news  matter,  running  them  together  all 
through  the  papers.  This  they  felt  was  an  annoyance 
to  every  reader,  and  they  purposed  that  as  the  chief 
mission  of  a  paper  was  to  print  the  news,  the  first  page 
and  the  choice  positions  should  be  devoted  exclusively 
to  news  matter,  and  that  all  advertising  should  be  given 


260       Chicago  Daily  News  and  the  Chicago  Record. 

a  second  place,  as  of  secondary  consideration.  The 
policy  was  to  give  the  most  important  piece  of  news 
the  first  place  on  the  first  page,  the  next  news  in  im- 
portance the  next  place,  and  so  on  until  the  news  col- 
umns were  filled;  then  to  begin  with  advertising,  and 
run  through  to  the  end.  From  the  first  the  rule  was 
absolute  that  nothing  should  be  published  in  the  Daily 
News,  as  news  or  editorial,  which  should  in  effect  be 
advertising,  and  that  no  advertising  should  appear 
under  any  circumstances  which  did  not  bear  upon  its 
face  some  indication  of  its  character.  The  line  be- 
tween advertising  and  news  matter  has  always  been 
drawn  in  the  sharpest  possible  way  in  the  Daily  News. 
When  the  paper  was  started  on  this  line,  the  critics 
said  it  wouldn't  work.  Every  advertiser  in  Chicago 
had  been  taught  that  the  choice  place  for  his  adver- 
tising was  on  the  first  page,  and  all  the  other  papers 
gave  display  advertising  on  the  first  page.  The  adver- 
tisers were  accustomed  also  to  having  their  wares 
written  up  as  news  matter  at  $1  a  line,  and  they  liked 
that  sort  of  thing.  "  You  cannot  go  in  and  revolution- 
ize this  business,"  said  the  critics,  "and  make  any 
money  out  of  it." 

The  projectors  of  the  Daily  News  went  ahead, 
however,  and  the  result  showed  at  once  that  they  had 
made  no  mistake.  Very  soon  the  public  saw  the  justice 
and  wisdom  of  their  position,  and  the  advertising  col- 
umns became  crowded. 

The  policy  of  giving  one  man  his  advertising  at  one 
rate  and  another  at  a  different  price  was  also  con- 
sidered detrimental,  and  uniform  rates  were  estab- 
lished, which  were  not  to  be  varied  from  under  any  cir- 
cumstances. 

It  was  their  theory,  too,  that  the  value  of  advertis- 
ing depended  chiefly  upon  the  circulation,  and  that  an 
advertiser  had  as  much  right  to  know  the  extent  of  the 
circulation  of  the  newspaper  which  he  was  patronizing 
as  any  citizen  has  to  know  the  quality  or  grade  of  any 


Chicago  Daily  News  and  the  Chicago  Record.      261 

piece  of  dry  goods  that  he  seeks  to  purchase.  It  was 
for  this  reason  that  when  the  circulation  of  the  News 
was  less  than  10,000  copies  an  affidavit  was  published 
every  day  giving1  the  exact  figures.  This  practice 
has  been  continued  through  all  the  years  since  the 
establishment  of  the  paper.  The  circulation  has  fluctu- 
ated, sometimes  fallen  and  sometimes  risen,  but  the 
affidavit  has  remained  there,  showing  exactly  what  it 
was.  Some  question  at  first  was  raised  as  to  the  truth 
of  these  affidavits,  but  no  man  who  was  interested  in 
the  subject  held  his  doubts  very  long.  Every  one  who 
cared  to  could  come  to  the  office,  examine  the  books, 
see  the  paper  printed  and  satisfy  himself. 

•  From  the  very  beginning  it  was  determined  that 
the  Daily  News  should  be  made  as  good  a  newspaper  as 
any  competitor,  regardless  of  any  difference  in  price 
that  might  exist.  With  this  end  in  view,  the  Chicago 
Evening  Post  was  purchased  in  1878,  in  order  to  acquire 
its  franchise  in  the  Western  Associated  Press.  The 
purchase  was  made  for  the  sole  purpose  of  obtaining 
the  news  facilities  of  the  paper.  That  put  the  Daily 
News  on  an  equal  footing  with  any  afternoon  paper  in 
the  country,  making  it  the  only  evening  paper  in  the 
United  States  having  a  membership  in  both  of  the  rival 
press  associations.  Then  correspondents  were  secured 
all  over  this  country  and  several  in  Europe.  The  Daily 
News  received  the  first  actual  special  cablegram  ever 
delivered  to  any  newspaper  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  and 
during  several  years  paid  the  Western  Union  Telegraph 
Co.  more  money  for  special  telegrams  than  any  other 
afternoon  paper  in  America. 

A  number  of  episodes  in  the  early  history  of  the 
paper  contributed  to  establish  its  reputation  for  enter- 
prise. 

Very  early  in  its  career  it  was  found  that  a  con- 
temporary was  stealing  its  dispatches.  By  the  publica- 
tion of  a  bogus  dispatch  in  November,  1876,  the  offend- 
ing sheet  was  convicted  and  publicly  exposed. 


262      Chicago  Daily  News  and  the  Chicago  Record. 

Three  months  later,  at  midnight,  the  boiler  which 
furnished  steam  for  the  machinery  exploded,  almost 
wrecking  the  building.  Before  daybreak  a  portable 
engine  and  boiler  was  in  place,  and  that  afternoon  the 
editions  were  run  off  as  usual. 

The  great  railroad  riots  in  the  summer  of  1877 
were  covered  by  the  local  department  of  the  Daily 
News  in  a  fashion  that  had  no  precedent  in  the  history 
of  western  journalism.  A  corps  of  reporters  mounted 
on  horseback,  we.nt  through  the  riotous  district  and 
telegraphed  the  situation  hour  by  hour  and  almost  min- 
ute by  minute.  Some  of  them  were  even  disguised  as 
rioters;  and  one  at  least  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
police  because  he  was  in  the  front  ranks  of  the  mob. 

The  following  year  the  failure  of  a  savings  bank 
furnished  a  fresh  opportunity  for  a  display  of  enterprise. 
The  collapse  of  the  State  Savings  Institution  and  the 
escape  of  C.  D.  Spencer  was  seized  upon  and  made  the 
most  of.  When  the  police  department  utterly  failed  to 
follow  the  fugitive  or  learn  his  whereabouts,  the  Daily 
News  took  up  the  case",  traced  him  through  Canada  to 
Europe,  and  finally  sent  a  man  who  -after  months  of 
search  found  and  interviewed  Mr.  Spencer. 

It  was  the  Daily  News  also  that  made  the  search  for 
Avery  Moore,  the  defaulting  west  town  collector,  and 
found  him  in  the  wilds  of  western  Canada,  disguised 
and  engaged  as  an  operative  in  an  oil  well. 

In  the'  fall  of  1879,  when  the  Irish  members  in  the 
British  house  of  parliament  began  their  agitation  and 
laid  the  foundation  for  the  Land  League,  their  leader, 
Charles  Stewart  Parnell,  was  induced  to  send  a  long 
cablegram  explaining  his  motives  and  those  of  his 
associates,  as  well  as  their  expectations,  to  the  readers 
of  the  Daily  News. 

In  1880,  when  General  Grant,  after  his  tour  around 
the  world,  reached  his  home  in  Illinois  and  was  accorded 
a  reception,  the  Daily  News  secured  from  the  governors 
of  all  the  states  and  territories,  as  well  as  from  the 


Chicago  Daily  News  and  the  Chicago  Record.     263 

leading1  men  north  and  south,  congratulatory  telegrams 
which  were  published  on  the  day  of  General  Grant's 
arrival  in  Chicago. 

On  March  20,  1881,  the  Morning  News  was  founded, 
and  in  June,  1882,  the  directors  of  the  Associated 
Press  admitted  it  to  membership  in  that  organization. 

An  innovation  inaugurated  by  the  Daily  News 
was  that  of  editing  news  matter,  particularly  telegraph, 
in  strict  accordance  with  its  news  value  instead  of 
printing  in  full  the  stories  received  from  correspon- 
dents. Quality  rather  than  quantity  was  the  object 
held  in  view.  All  the  matter  received  by  telegram  is 
carefully  edited,  and  it  very  frequently  happens  that 
the  man  in  charge  of  the  telegraphic  news  at  night  edits 
three  times  as  much  into  the  waste  basket  as  he  does 
into  the  columns  of  the  paper. 

During  the  first  six  months  of  the  history  of  the 
Daily  News  its  circulation  averaged  about  4,000  copies 
a  day.  At  the  end  of  the  year  the  average  had  grown 
to  10,000.  The  yearly  averages  since  that  time  have 
been  as  follows:  1877,  22,037;  1878,  38,314;  1879,  45,- 
194;  1880,  54,801;  1881,  64,870;  1882,  66,680;  1883,  75,115; 
1884,  88,306;  1885,  99,005;  1886,  113,615;  1887,  125,225; 
1888,  128,676;  1889,  134,059;  1890,  132,957;  1891,  142,- 
022;  1892,  164,175;  1893,  192,491;  1894,  200,885;  1895, 
202,496;  1896,  204,724;  1897,222,595;  1898  275,514;  1899, 
259,562;  1900  (to  November  30)  276,176. 

The  first  copies  of  the  Daily  News  were  printed  on 
an  ordinary  Cylinder  press,  the  separate  sheets  of 
paper  being  fed  in  by  hand  after  having  been  wet  over 
night.  Then  a  "  four-feed  "  machine  was  introduced, 
the  type  being  carried  on  a  cylindrical  iron  frame,  and 
the  sheets  of  paper  being  .fed  in  at  four  different 
places  by  boys.  This  was  succeeded  by  one  of  the  first 
web  presses  built.  Nine  quadruple  Hoe  presses  and 
one  Hoe  sextuple  are  now  required  to  print  the  paper's 
daily  issue.  Each  of  the  quadruple  presses  is  capable 
of  producing  24,000  16-page  papers  an  hour,  folded  and 


264      Chicago  Daily  News  and  the  Chicago  Record. 

counted.  Besides  this,  they  can  .print  with  equal  facil- 
ity 10,  12  or  14-page  papers.  The  present  capacity  of 
the  entire  battery  of  ten  presses  is  240,000  10-page 
papers  an  hour.  Within  a  year,  however,  all  of  these 
presses  will  have  been  enlarged  to  the  sextuple  size, 
which  will  double  their  capacity  for  the  production  of 
10  or  12-page  papers.  Each  will  then  be  capable  of 
turning  out  48,000  10  or  12-page  papers  an  hour, 
giving  a  combined  capacity  on  these  sizes  of  480,000 
an  hour.  About  seventy  tons  of  paper  and  nearly  three 
barrels  of  ink,  each  barrel  containing  420  pounds,  are 
consumed  daily  by  the  plant,  including  the  consump- 
tion of  paper  and  ink  for  the  morning  paper,  now 
known  as  the  Chicago  Record,  as  well  as  that  of  the 
Daily  News.  Sixty  men  are  regularly  employed  to 
operate  the  presses  and  the  engines  which  drive  them, 
and  additional  help  is  frequently  employed.  In  the 
stereotype  room  from  480  to  500  plates  are  made  every 
day.  The  composing  room  is  equipped  with  twenty- 
eight  Mergenthaler  linotype  machines.  A  total  force 
of  about  155  men  are  employed  in  this  department  and 
the  co-ordinate  department  for  the  setting  of  display 
advertisements.  The  total  number  of  employes  on  the 
pay  roll  for  all  departments  exceeds  800,  not  including 
123  cable  correspondents  abroad  nor  the  numerous  cor- 
respondents scattered  throughout  the  United  States. 

Two  great  public  enterprises  of  a  philanthropic 
nature,  carried  out  by  the  Chicago  Daily  News,  deserve 
mention.  The  chief  is  the  fresh  air  fund  and  sanitarium 
for  sick  babies  established  on  the  lake  front  in  Lincoln 
park  in  1887,  and  with  the  co-operation  of  the  public, 
maintained  ever  since.  In  June,  1887,  the  Daily  News 
made  a  study  of  the  causes  of  the  enormous  increase  in 
the  mortality  rate  among  infants  and  children  in  July 
and  August,  as  compared  with  that  of  the  other  months 
of  the  year.  The  experience  of  1,300  practicing  phy- 
sicians was  obtained,  and  with  substantial  unanimity 
they  attributed  the  increase  more  largely  to  the  impure 


Chicago  Daily  News  and  the  Chicago  Record.      265 

air  of  the  tenement  house  district  in  summer  than  to 
any  other  cause;  and  with  a  like  unanimity  they  insisted 
on  pure  fresh  air  as  the  first  essential  for  infantile  health 
and  life  during  the  summer  months. 

Out  of  this  grew  the  Daily  News  fresh  air  fund. 
Over  $100,000  has  been  contributed  by  the  public  and 
expended  by  the  Daily  News  since  this  movement  was 
begun.  Each  year  the  amount  received  and  expended 
has  been  larger,  and  hundreds  of  thousands  of  infants, 
children,  mothers  and  sewing  girls  have  shared  in  its 
benefits.  The  Daily  News  has  always  paid  all  the  ex- 
penses of  office  service,  the  cost  of  stationery,  etc.,  and 
furnished  its  employes  without  salary  to  carry  on  the 
good  work.  Three  distinguished  citizens  of  Chicago 
audit  the  accounts  of  the  sanitarium  yearly  and  vouch 
for  the  fact  that  all  the  money  received  has  been  ex- 
pended in  the  most  economical  and  useful  way. 

In  June,  1888,  the  Daily  News  tendered  the  board 
of  education  of  Chicago  the  annual  income  of  an  invest- 
ment  of  $10,000,  such  income  to  be  expended  in  procur- 
ing suitable  medals  to  be  awarded  each  year  under  the 
auspices  of  the  board,  for  essays  on  "  American  Patri- 
otism "  by  pupils  of  the  Chicago  grammar  and  high 
schools.  The  purpose,  as  stated  in  the  letter  to  the 
board,  was  to  ' '  stimulate  interest  in  the  study  of  patri- 
otic literature  by  the  pupils  of  the  public  schools,  to  the 
end  that  familiarity  with  the  causes  that  led  to  the 
founding  of  the  American  republic  and  with  the  motive 
which  inspired  the  struggles  and  sacrifices  of  its  fathers 
may  develop  a  higher  standard  of  American  citizenship. " 

It  is  also  worthy  of  mention  that  the  Daily  News 
has  provided  amply  for  the  welfare  and  amusement  of 
the  thousands  of  newsboys  who  sell  or  help  to  distribute 
the  papers.  One  of  the  largest  rooms  in  the  building 
is  devoted  to  them.  Here  is  a  gymnasium  with  rings 
and  turning  bars,  climbing  ropes  and  punching  bags, 
space  enough  to  accommodate  nearly  1,000  boys  at  one 
time,  and  every  modern  appliance,  from  a  restaurant 


266      Chicago  Daily  News  and  the  Chicago  Record. 

in  the  corner  to  a  theater  stage  and  scenery  and  cur- 
tains, where  innocent  amusement  can  be  given.  The 
Daily  Neios  Newsboys'  Band  was  organized  late  in  1897, 
and  is  now  beyond  doubt  one  of  the  finest  boys'  bands 
in  the  United  States.  It  is  a  military  band  of  forty-two 
pieces,  fully  equipped  and  uniformed.  The  Daily  News 
paid  all  the  expenses  and  gives  the  boys  all  the  receipts 
of  the  numerous  entertainments  at  which  their  services 
are  in  demand.  There  is  also  a  Newsboys'  Fife  and 
Drum  Corps,  an  entirely  separate  organization,  organ- 
ized in  1894.  Still  another  organization  is  a  newsboys' 
military  company  called  the  Zouaves.  All  the  boys  in 
this  organization  are  handsomely  uniformed  at  the 
expense  of  the  paper. 

In  March,  1881,  the  issue  of  a  morning  edition  was 
begun,  under  the  title  of  the'  Morning  News.  The  price 
was  two  cents.  The  new  venture  was  successful  from 
the  start,  and  in  1893  the  title  was  changed  to  the 
Chicago  Record.  Its  career  has  been  one  of  unusual 
brilliance.  Like  the  Daily  Neivs,  the  Record  is  a  non- 
partisan  newspaper.  Measures  and  men  are  viewed  in 
its  columns  invariably  from  the  standpoint  of  the  inter- 
ests of  all  the  people — never  from  that  of  the  interests 
of  any  particular  political  party.  It  is  distinctively  a 
family  newspaper.  It  caters  to  the  family  circle.  It 
prints  the  news — the  news  a  discriminating  public  wants 
—and  it  prints  also  the  varied  literature,  interesting, 
instructive,  humorous,  practical,  that  the  interests  of 
different  members  of  the  household  demand.  Its  for- 
eign service  includes  in  its  scope  the  entire  civilized 
world.  One  hundred  and  twenty-three  staff  corre- 
spondents of  the  Chicago  Record  are  scattered  through- 
out the  world  outside  of  the  United  States.  Seventy- 
two  are  located  in  the  important  cities  of  Europe. 
Eighteen  are  in  Asia — seven  of  these  in  China  and 
Japan;  four  are  in  Africa — three  of  them  in  South 
Africa;  six  are  in  Australia  and  New  Zealand;  eight  in 


Chicago  Daily  News  and  the  Chicago  Record.      267 

South  America;  five  in  the  West  Indies  and  ten  in 
Canada  and  Mexico. 

It  is  a  rule  of  both  the  Record  and  the  Daily  News 
that  there  shall  be  no  expression  of  opinion  in  the 
news  columns  proper.  No  reporter  is  permitted,  under 
any  circumstances,  to  express  any  opinion;  it  is  his 
business  simply  to  relate  facts.  The  expression  of 
opinion  is  all  relegated  to  the  editorial  columns.  Both 
papers  have  always  maintained  an  independent  position 
politically,  though  always  taking  an  active  interest 
in  public  questions,  sometimes  with  one  party,  some- 
times another,  but  oftener  for  the  better  element  of 
both. 

Their  moral  tone  has  been  the  subject  of  special 
care.  Early  in  the  history  of  the  office  a  rule  was  made 
which  has  always  been  maintained  and  is  still  operat- 
ive, couched  in  these  words:  "Nothing  shall  appear 
in  the  columns  of  the  paper  which  a  young  lady  cannot 
read  with  propriety  aloud  before  a  mixed  company." 

Since  1888  Victor  F.  Lawson  has  been  sole  proprie- 
tor of  both  papers,  Mr.  Melville  E.  Stone  having  retired 
in  that  year.  Mr.  Lawson  was  born  in  Chicago  Septem- 
ber 9,  1850.  He  was  educated  at  Philips  academy, 
Andover,  Mass.  On  his  return  to  Chicago  he  took 
personal  charge  of  his  father's  estate,  and  continued 
thus  occupied  until  he  bought  the  Daily  News. 


THE  foregoing  history  of  the  Chicago  daily  news- 
papers at  the  opening  of  the  new  century  will  increase 
in  value  with  each  succeeding  decade,  and  multiply  in 
value  at  the  opening  of  the  next  century.  Chicago  is 
now  the  commercial  center  of  North  America,  and  the 
combined  daily  circulation  of  its  newspapers  is  about 
the  same  as  that  of  New  York.  No  human  vision  can 
peer  into  futurity  sufficiently  to  forecast  what  influence 
the  Chicago  press,  100  years  hence,  is  destined  to  ex- 
ercise. One  hundred  years  ago,  the  church  held  the 
press  in  abeyance  to  its  teachings.  Now  the  scale  is 


268      Chicago  Daily  News  and  the  Chicago  Record. 

turned.  The  press  influences  the  church  more  than  it 
influences  the  press.  The  forum  retains  power  through 
its  approval.  The  church  changes  more  in  practice 
than  in  theory.  The  forum  changes  in  both  alike.  The 
press  is  the  exponent  of  all  these  changes,  and  pro- 
claims them  before  the  tribunal  of  public  opinion.  The 
press  is  an  important  factor  in  directing  public  opinion 
into  progressive  and  national  channels.  Everybody 
reads  a  newspaper  seven  days  in  a  week,  except  a  very 
few  who  eschew  the  Sunday  issue.  To  read  a  news- 
paper is  to  be  taught  by  it,  to  a  greater  or  less  degree. 
Church  goers  only  get  a  lesson  once  a  week,  while  a 
minority,  who  never  attend  church,  learn  nothing  from 
clerical  teachings  except  through  the  newspapers.  The 
press  is  almost  always  charitable  to  every  religion,  re- 
porting its  teachings  with  fidelity  to  the  sentiments 
taught,  leaving  its  merits  or  demerits  to  a  discriminat- 
ing public.  This  spirit  of  fairness  makes  the  press  the 
genius  and  guiding  star  of  our  age,  indispensable  to 
every  person  wishing  to  be  well  informed. 


THE  UNDERGROUND  RAILROAD. 

Every  stage  of  human  progress  has  been  marked 
by  conflict,  both  in  political  and  religious  impulses. 
These  impulses  go  in  waves  of  thought,  like  the  star 
of  empire,  from  east  to  west.  I  now  propose  to  rescue 
from  oblivion  the  history  of  the  wave  of  thought  in 
favor  of  freedom  that  terminated  the  slavery  issue  in 
the  United  States,  in  the  arena  of  the  pen  and  the 
forum,  at  which  termination  the  arbitrament  of  the 
sword  began. 

If  slavery  was  constitutional  it  certainly  was  un- 
natural and  could  not  live  without  special  legislation; 
nor  could  it  be  prolonged  without  friction  in  the  body 
politic  of  the  nation.  American  slavery  began  on  the 
James  river,  in  Virginia,  in  1619,  at  which  time  a  Dutch 
vessel  brought  in  a  cargo  of  slaves,  and  sold  them  to 
the  colonists,  which  was  done  by  the  connivance  of  the 
British  government.  Although  certain  planters  pur- 
chased and  employed  the'se  slaves,  the  assembly  of  Vir- 
ginia saw  danger  in  the  future  from  their  introduction, 
and  petitioned  to  the  British  throne,  in  1772,  to  stop 
this  importation,  using  language  as  follows:  "  We  are 
encouraged  to  look  up  to  the  throne  and  implore  your 
majesty's  paternal  assistance  in  averting  a  calamity  of 
a  most  alarming  nature.  The  importation  of  slaves 
into  the  colonies  from  the  coast  of  Africa  hath  long 
been  considered  as  a  trade  of  great  inhumanity;  and 
under  its  present  encouragement  we  have  great  reason 
to  fear  will  endanger  the  very  existence  of  your 
majesty's  dominions." 


270  The  Underground  Railroad. 

No  notice  was  taken  of  this  petition  by  the  crown, 
from  which  it  is  manifest  that  slavery  was  forced  upon 
the  colonists  by  the  mother  country.  Even  while  the 
first  crude  thoughts  of  the  American  revolution  were 
revolving  in  the  minds  of  our  fathers,  an  anti  slavery 
society  was  formed  by  the  Quakers  at  Sun  tavern  in 
Philadelphia,  April  14,  1775.  An  abolition  society  was 
formed  in  Virginia  the  same  year,  and  met  four  times, 
but  owing  to  the  revolutionary  war  did  not  meet  again 
till  1784,  the  next  year  after  peace.  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin was  president  of  this  society,  and  Benjamin  Rush 
secretary.  In  1787  Patrick  Henry  and  John  Jay  also 
lent  their  influence  in  favor  of  abolition.  In  1827  there 
were  136  abolition  societies  in  the  United  States,  106 
of  which  were  in  slave  holding  states. 

Many  of  the  latter  were  the  result  of  Benjamin 
Lundy's  efforts,  who  was  the  main  connecting  link  be- 
tween the  old  societies,  formed  previous  to  the  revolu- 
tion, and  the  more  modern  abolitionists,  who  revised 
the  work  which  they  had  begun,  and  carried  it  on 
amidst  a  storm  of  abuse,  not  exempt  from  danger. 
Mr.  Lundy  was  a  Hicksite  Quaker,  born  in  New  Jersey, 
January  4,  1789.  In  1821  he  commenced  the  publica- 
tion of  the  Genius  of  Universal  Emancipation,  an  anti- 
slavery  newspaper,  at  Mount  Pleasant,  Ohio.  This 
paper  he  removed  to  Tennessee,  where  it  was  continued 
till  again  removed,  next  time  to  Baltimore,  in  1825, 
and  afterward  to  Philadelphia,  where  it  was  destroyed 
by  a  mob  in  1837.  Previous  to  this  time  he  had  trav- 
ersed the  whole  country,  issuing  transient  numbers  of 
his  paper,  also  anti-slavery  pamphlets,  and  had  held 
personal  interviews  with  such  men  as  Arthur  Tappan, 
Ichabod  Codding,  William  Lloyd  Garrison  and  other 
philanthropists. 

Mr.  Garrison  received  his  impressions  against 
slavery  from  Mr.  Lundy,  and  it  may  truly  be  said,  that 
after  his  death  his  mantle  of  honor  fell  upon  Mr.  Garri- 
son's shoulders,  at  least,  in  the  part  taken  by  the  Bos- 


-The  Underground  Railroad.  271 

tonians  in  this  conflict.  Zebina  Eastman  united  his 
efforts  with  Mr.  Lundy  •  in  the  publication  of  the  Genius 
the  year  after  its  removal  to  Lowell,  111. ,  in  1838,  where 
Mr.  Lundy  died  August  22, 1839,  and  the  responsibilities 
of  the  paper  were  left  alone  with  Mr.  Eastman,  after 
but  a  brief  alliance  with  his  modest  but  illustrious 
friend.  Says  Horace  Greeley  of  Mr.  Lundy:  "Thus 
closed  the  record  of  one  of  the  most  heroic,  devoted, 
courageous  lives  that  has  ever  been  lived  on  this  con- 
tinent." 

Mr.  Eastman  continued  the  abolition  campaign  in 
the  west  through  the  columns  of  the  Genius,  assisted 
by  Hooper  Warren  till  1842,  when  he  was  invited  to  go 
to  Chicago  by  James  H.  Collins,  Dr.  C.  V.  Dyer,  H.  L. 
Fulton,  S.  D.  Childs,  Calvin  De  Wolf,  N.  Rossiter, 
Rev.  F.  Bascom,  L.  C.  P.  Freer,  J.  Johnston  and  others, 
to  start  the  Western  Citizen.  It  became  the  leading 
anti-slavery  organ  of  the  western  states  under  his 
editorship,  assisted  by  his  old  friend,  Hooper  Warren, 
who  remained  with  him  during  the  publication  of  that 
paper. 

To  preserve  the  chain  of  connection  between  the 
early  advocates  of  abolitionism  and  later  workers  in  the 
cause,  brief  sketches  of  them  are  here  inserted : 

Edward  Coles  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1786.  He 
inherited  from  his  father  a  large  plantation,  well  stocked 
with  slaves ;  but  he  inherited  from  nature  the  true  spirit 
of  humanity  as  well  as  generosity,  and  under  its  inspira- 
tion he  sold  his  plantation  and  liberated  his  slaves, 
giving  to  each  160  acres  of  land  in  Illinois,  to  which 
state  he  removed  in  1819.  He  became  the  second  gov- 
ernor of  Illinois,  after  a  most  desperate  struggle  in  the 
gubernatorial  canvass  to  make  it  a  slave  state.  The 
issue  was  whether  to  change  the  constitution  of  Illinois 
so  as  to  admit  slavery,  his  influence  being  against  the 
change,  and  his  cause  triumphed.  He  died  in  Philadel- 
phia in  1868. 


272  The  Underground  Railroad* 

William  Lloyd  Garrison,  born  in  Newburyport, 
Mass. ,  December  12, 1804,  was  fined  and  imprisoned  for 
a  "libel"  against  slave  catchers,  but  released  by 
Arthur  Tappan,  who  paid  his  fine.  January  1,  1831, 
Mr.  Garrison  issued  the  first  number  of  the  Liberator, 
and  was  dragged  through  the  streets  of  Boston  with  a 
rope  around  his  neck,  for  his  abolition  utterances.  The 
governor  of  Georgia  offered  $5,000  for  his  head.  He 
died  in  Boston  May  24,  1879. 

Benjamin  Franklin  Wade,  born  in  Springfield, 
Mass.,  October  27,  1800.  He  rose  to  great  distinction 
in  the  United  States  senate,  and  earned  the  title,  ' '  Hon- 
est Ben  Wade."  DiedMarch20, 1878,  at  Jefferson,  Ohio. 

William  Goodell  was  a  supporter  of  Gerrit  Smith's 
doctrine  of  the  unconstitutionality  of  slavery.  Died 
at  Janesville,  Wis. ,  in  1879. 

Joshua  Leavitt,  born  in  Massachusetts,  was  a 
prominent  leader  in  the  formation  of  the  liberty  party 
of  1840,  which  was  the  germ  of  the  republican  party  of 
1860,  in  Massachusetts.  He  died  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 
January  16,  1873. 

William  Ellery  Channing,  born  at  Newport,  R.  I., 
April  7,  1780.  In  1841  he  published  a  book  on  abolition- 
ism, which  had  a  wide  circulation.  He  died  at  Ben- 
nington,  Vt,  October  2,  1842. 

Elijah  Parish  Lovejoy,  martyr  to  the  freedom  of 
the  press  and  the  freedom  of  the  slave,  was  born  in 
Albion,  Me.,  November  9,  1802.  Went  to  St.  Louis  in 
1827,  became  editor  of  the  St.  Louis  Observer,  a  Presby- 
terian weekly,  was  required  by  the  proprietors  of  that 
paper  to  be  silent  on  the  subject  of  slavery;  instead  of 
doing  which  he  boldly  claimed  the  right  of  free  speech 
and  free  press.  He  was  mobbed  in  St.  Louis  and  St. 
Charles,  Mo.,  after  which  he  bought  the  paper  and 
removed  it  to  Alton,  111.,  where  three  presses  were 
destroyed  by  violence.  On  the  night  of  November  7, 
1837,  while,  by  the  mayor's  orders,  defending  the  fourth 
press,  he  was  shot  by  an  armed  mob. 


•  The  Underground  Railroad.  273 

Owen  Love  joy,  younger  brother  of  Elijah,  was  born 
in  Albion,  Me.,  January  6, 1811,  was  elected  to  congress 
in  1856,  and  died  while  a  member  of  that  body  in  March, 
1864,  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

James  G.  Birney,  born  at  Danville,  Ky.,  February 
4,  1792.  He  was  the  abolition  candidate  for  president 
of  the  United  States  in  1840.  He  died  at  Perth  Amboy, 
N.  J.,  November  20,  1857. 

Philo  Carpenter  was  born  in  Massachusetts  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1805,  where  he  remained  tilling  the  soil  on 


his  father's  farm  till  his  majority  was  reached.  Both 
his  grandfathers  were  in  the  revolutionary  war.  An 
earlier  ancestor  was  William  Carpenter,  who  came 
from  Southampton,  England,  to  Weymouth,  Mass.,  in 
1635.  Mr.  Carpenter  received  a  good  common  school 
education,  supplemented  by  a  few  terms  at  an  academy 
in  South  Adams,  Mass.  He  arrived  in  Chicago  in  the 
summer  of  1832.  The  peculiar  circumstances  attending 
his  arrival  may  be  found  in  Vol.  I  of  this  work.  The 
Black  Hawk  war  was  then  creating  great  alarm 
throughout  the  country  ;  but  the  cholera  was  creating 


274  The  Underground  Railroad. 

a  greater  alarm.  This  epidemic  did  not  prevent  his 
mingling  among  the  troops  at  Fort  Dearborn.  He  hav- 
ing clerked  in  a  drug  store,  was  partially  qualified  to 
administer  to  their  wants  from  his  stock  of  drugs  and 
medicines  which  he  brought  with  him  to  Chicago.  He 
organized  the  first  temperance  society  here  soon  after 
his  arrival ;  and  in  conversing  with  him  some  years 
ago  he  told  the  writer  of  this  sketch  that  he  presented 
the  temperance  pledge  to  Indian  Robinson,  who  signed 
it,  and,  consistent  with  this  action,  drew  a  flask  of 
whisky  from  his  pocket  and  emptied  it  on  the  ground. 
Mr.  Carpenter  was  an  uncompromising  advocate  of  the 
abolition  of  slavery  from  the  first.  His  home  was  ever 
a  free  hiding  place  for  fugitives,  whence  he  piloted 
them  by  night  to  Canada-bound  vessels.  When  the 
abolition  question  first  came  up  in  the  Presbyterian 
church,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  nearly  one-half  of 
the  church  voted  against  the  agitation  of  the  slavery 
question.  The  Presbyterian  synod  had  the  authority 
to  control  the  action  of  the  church  even  against  the 
majority  of  its  members,  and  this  majority  were  dispos- 
sessed of  the  use  of  the  church  in  which  to  advocate 
abolition  doctrines  ;  but -this  division  of  the  church  gave 
way  to  the  principles  of  freedom  in  after  years.  Much 
of  Mr.  Carpenter's  life  may  be  found  in  connection  with 
other  abolitionists  spoken  of  in  this  article.  He  died 
in  Chicago,  August  7,  1886. 

Milton  Smith  was  born  in  Cazenovia,  N.  Y.,  Jan- 
uary 27,  1810.  He  came  to  Illinois  in  1835,  and  identi- 
fied himself  at  once  with  the  anti-slavery  movement. 
In  his  profession  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel  he  often 
risked  his  life  by  the  boldness  of  his  anti-slavery  utter- 
ances, as  well  as  in  personal  encounters  with  slave 
hunters.  On  one  occasion  he  narrowly  escaped  being 
thrown  overboard  from  a  boat  on  the  Ohio  river,  for 
having  advocated  the  anti-slavery  cause.  At  his  home, 
near  Bloomingdale,  111.,  he  frequently  secreted  fugitive 
slaves,  making  great  sacrifice  of  time  and  expense  in 


The  Underground  Railroad. 


275 


conveying  them  stealthily  in  the  night  to  Chicago,  to 
steamers  that  carried  them  to  Canada.  He  died  at 
Wheaton,  111.,  March  17,  1878. 

Calvin  De  Wolf  was  born  in  Braintrim,  Pa.,  in 
1815,  on  his  father's  side  descended  from  colonists 
who  came  from  Holland  and  settled  at  Lyme,  Conn. 
His  mother  was  descended  from  Edward  Spalding, 
who  settled  in  Chelmsford,  Mass.,  in  1633.  Mr.  De 
Wolf  was  a  self-taught  man,  having  paid  his  own  way  by 
manual  labor  at  Grand  River  Institute,  Ohio,  where  he 


became  proficient  in  the  higher  branches  of  mathe- 
matics and  in  Latin.  He  came  to  Chicago  in  the  fall  of 
1837.  After  teaching  school  two  terms,  he  entered  the 
office  of  Spring  &  Goodrich,  to  study  law.  In  1843  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  commenced  practice,  in 
which  profession  he  continued  up  to  1854,  when  he  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace.  He  was  one  of  the  found- 
ers of  the  anti-slavery  society  in  1859,  and  was  one  of 
those  who  helped  to  found  the  Western  Citizen,  edited 
by  Zebina  Eastman. 

The  attempt  to  introduce  slavery  into  Nebraska  is 
still  fresh  in  the  minds  of  many  at  this  day.     Stephen 


276  The  Underground  Railroad. 

F.  Nuckolls  was  one  of  the  slave  colonizers,  but  a  young 
slave  named  Eliza,  unwilling  to  become  a  subject  of 
his  designs,  made  her  escape  and  found  her  way  to 
Chicago.  Nuckolls,  the  master,  followed  her,  and  in 
his  attempt  to  capture  her,  was  arrested  and  brought 
before  Judge  De  Wolf,  on  a  charge  of  riotous  conduct. 
He  was  locked  up  a  few  hours,  during  which  time  the 
abolitionists  sent  the  woman  on  her  road  to  Canada. 
Nuckolls  commenced  suit  in  the  United  States  court 
and  obtained  an  indictment  against  Mr.  De  Wolf, 
George  Anderson,  H.  D.  Hayward  and  C.  L.  Jenks  for 
aiding  a  negro  slave  to  escape  from  her  master.  The 
question  now  came  up  whether  slaves  could  be  held, 
according  to  the  constitution,  in  Nebraska.  The  de- 
fendants held  that  the  woman  was  not  lawfully  a  slave 
in  Nebraska,  on  which  ground  a  movement  was  made 
to  quash  the  indictment.  This  motion  never  came  to 
trial,  but  in  1861  the  case  was  dismissed  by  authority 
of  Hon.  E.  C.  Larned,  United  States  district  attorney, 
after  having  been  pending  ever  since  1858,  the  date  of 
Eliza's  escape.  Mr.  De  Wolf  died  in  Chicago,  Novem- 
ber 21,  1899. 

Gammiel  Bailey,  born  in  Mount  Holly,  N.  J.,  1797, 
was  founder  of  the  National  Era  at  Washington,  the 
paper  that  first  gave  to  the  world  "Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin."  He  died  on  a  passage  from  Europe  in  1859. 

John  G.  Whittier,  born  in  Haverhill,  Mass. ,  Decem- 
ber 17,  1807.  This  noted  Quaker  poet  was  the  friend  of 
both  Lundy  and  Garrison,  and  united  his  efforts  with 
them  till  slavery  was  abolished.  He  died  in  1892. 

Arthur  Tappan  was  born  in  Connecticut  May  22, 
1786.  He  was  a  merchant  in  New  York.  Founded  the 
Emancipator,  and  helped  to  found  Oberlin  college.  He 
died  July  23,  1865. 

Charles  Sumner  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  Janu- 
ary 6,  1811.  He  succeeded  Daniel  Webster  in  the 
United  States  senate  in  1851,  which  place  he  retained 
until  his  death,  March  11,  1874,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


The  Underground  Railroad.  277 

His  arguments  in  favor  of  the  abolition  of  slavery  were 
too  logical  to  be  answered  bywords;  instead  of  attempt- 
ing to  do  which  Mr.  Brooks,  a  southern  senator,  made 
a  savage  attack  upon  him  with  a  cane  on  the  floor,  of 
the  senate.  Mr.  Sumner  was  one  of  the  commissioners 
to  settle  the  Alabama  claims. 

Mrs.  Lucretia  Mott,  of  Quaker  parentage,  was  born 
on  Nantucket  island  in  1793.  Her  education  was  re- 
ceived in  the  schools  of  Boston  till  fourteen  years  of 
age,  at  which  time  she  was  placed  in  a  Friends'  board- 
ing school  in  New  York  state,  where  she  remained  until 
she  became  an  assistant  teacher.  She  was  a  natural 
orator  and  forcible  writer,  which,  together  with  her 
associations  with  Benjamin  Lundy,  Wm.  Lloyd  Garri- 
son, Wendell  Phillips,  Lydia  Maria  Childs  and  others, 
had  well  fitted  her  for  the  conspicuous  part  she  took  in 
the  cause  of  human  freedom,  as  well  as  in  other  benevo- 
lent reforms.  While  she  learned  much  from  them,  she 
gave  as  much  in  return  as  she  received.  Even  the 
great  Garrison  took  his  first  lesson  in  elocution  from 
this  gifted  woman.  While  on  his  return  from  a  Balti- 
more jail,  confined  there  for  abolition  utterances, 
charged  with  resentment  for  his  persecutions,  he  called 
on  Mrs.  Mott  in  Philadelphia,  who  obtained  permission 
for  him  to  deliver  an  abolition  address  in  the  Green 
street  church,  where  Mrs.  Mott  had  begun  to  preach. 
He  pulled  out  his  manuscript  and  went  through  with  it. 
Says  Mrs.  Mott,  ' '  It  was,  of  course,  a  very  strongly 
written  production,  but  delivered  without  animation." 
She,  being  an  orator,  knew  how  it  should  be  done,  and 
said  to  her  young  friend:  "  William,  if  thee  expects  to 
set  forth  thy  cause  by  word  of  mouth,  thee  must  lay 
aside  thy  paper  and  trust  to  the  leading  of  the  Spirit." 
Garrison  profited  by  this  advice,  given  in  kindness,  of 
which  his  future  fame  as  an  orator  gave  good  evidence. 
Mrs.  Mott  died  at  her  home  near  Philadelphia  in  18-80. 

Lydia  Maria  Childs  was  born  in  1802.  She  edited 
the  National  Slavery  Standard,  and  was  the  author  of  a 


278  The  Underground  Railroad. 

famous  book,  entitled,  "  An  Appeal  for  Africa. "  Her 
literary  style  was  a  model  of  elegance.  She  died  in 
1880. 

Charles  F.  Torrey,  born  in  Scituate,  Mass.,  1813, 
was  editor  of  the  Tocsin  of  Liberty,  published  in  Albany, 
and  was  arrested  in  Maryland  for  running1  off  slaves, 
convicted  and  sentenced  to  Baltimore  state  prison  for 
life,  and  died  in  prison  May  9,  1846,  one  year  after  his 
sentence.  He  was  called  the  martyr  Torrey. 

Salmon  P.  Chase  was  born  in  Cornish,  N.  H. ,  Jan- 
uary 13,  1808.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
liberty  party,  was  governor  of  Ohio  in  1855,  and  was 
appointed  secretary  of  the  treasury  by  Lincoln  in  1861 
During  his  secretaryship  he  was  chiefly  instrumental  in 
establishing  the  greenback  system.  The  fourteenth 
amendment  to  the  constitution  was  among  the  last  of 
his  public  acts.  He  died  at  the  residence  of  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  Wm.  Hoyt,  New  York,  May  7,  1873. 

Joshua  R.  Giddings  was  born  in  Athens,  -Pa., 
October  6,  1795.  He  earned  a  reputation  for  consist- 
ency and  honesty  in  his  long  public  life,  during  which 
time  he  was  unceasing  in  his  opposition  to  slavery.  He 
was  made  consul  at  Montreal  by  Lincoln,  where  he 
died  May  27, 1864. 

Gerrit  Smith,  born  in  Attica,  N.  Y.,  1798.  He 
gave  his  money  freely  to  aid  fugitive  slaves,  was  a  firm 
advocate  of  temperance  as  well  as  abolition  of  slavery. 
He  died  in  New  York,  1874. 

Elihu  Burritt,  the  learned  blacksmith,  was  born  in 
New  Britain,  Conn.,  December  8,  1811.  He  was  as 
remarkable  for  his  love  of  humanity  as  for  his  great 
learning.  He  always  pleaded  the  cause  of  abolition 
through  his  logical  pen.  He  died  at  the  place  of  his 
birth  in  March,  1867. 

Wendell  Phillips  was  born  in  Boston  in  1811.  He 
was,  to  use  John  Adams'  forcible  expression,  "a  flame 
of  fire"  in  the  cause  of  abolition.  The  style  of  his 


The  Underground  Railroad.  278 

oratory  was  a  model  to  be  aimed  at,  but  rarely,  if  ever, 
to  be  equaled.  He  died  in  1884. 

Jane  Grey  Swisshelm,  born  in  Pittsburg,  Pa., 
December  6,  1815,  was  descended  from  the  old  Scotch 
reformers  and  also  from  Lady  Jane  Grey,  the  nine  days' 
queen  of  England.  In  1848  she  established  the  Pitts- 
burg  Saturday  Visitor,  devoted  to  abolition  and  other 
reforms.  She  took  the  lecture  field  with  great  success, 
making  emancipation  of  the  negro  one  of  her  chief 
points.  She  died  in  1884. 

Hooper  Warren,  a  native  of  Windsor,  Vt. ,  was  asso- 
ciated with  the  celebrated  Governor  Coles  in  his  opposi- 
tion to  slavery,  and  also  with  Zebina  Eastman,  in  the 
publication  of  the  Genius  of  Liberty,  as  told  in  fore- 
going pages.  He  died  at  Mendota,  111.,  in  1864. 

Jonathan  Blanchard,  a  native  of  Vermont,  took 
strong  anti-slavery  ground  when  he,  a  young  man, 
started  out  in  life  armed  with  a  college  diploma  and  an 
uncompromising  spirit  toward  slavery.  He  was  early 
associated  with  the  abolition  movement,  and  was  out- 
spoken as  to  the  impolicy  of  slavery,  when  Henry  Ward 
Beecher,  his  associate,  stood  on  neutral  ground,  under 
the  wing  of  his  venerable  father,  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher, 
of  Cincinnati.  He  was  president  of  Knox  college,  at 
Galesburgi  111.,  and  later  of  Wheaton  college,  in 
Wheaton,  111.,  where  he  died  May  24,  1892. 

Ichabod  Codding  was  born  in  Bristol,  N.  Y.,  Sep- 
tember 23,  1810.  He  came  to  Illinois  in  1842,  by  invi- 
tation of  Z.  Eastman,  who  wished  the  assistance  of  his 
forensic  power  in  the  anti-slavery  movement.  He  died 
at  Baraboo,  Wis.,  June  17,  1866. 

William  Henry  Seward  was  born  in  Florida,  Orange 
county,  New  York,  May  16,  1801.  He  early  took 
strong  ground  as  an  anti-slavery  advocate.  He  was 
appointed  secretary  of  state  by  Lincoln  in  1861.  The 
term  "irrepressible  conflict,"  was  original  with  him. 
He  died  at  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  October  10,  1872. 

Theodore   Parker,  born   at   Lexington,   Mass.,   in 


280  The  Underground  Railroad. 

1812,  was  no  time  serving  orator,  but  was  a  bold  advo- 
cate of  truth  as  he  saw  it.  He  was  emphatic  in  his 
protest  against  the  fugitive  slave  law,  and  delivered  a 
lecture  on  its  issue  in  Federal  hall,  Boston,  when  the  cor- 
ridors of  the  hall  were  filled  with  United  States  sol- 
diers. He  defied  the  mob,  and  declared  that  he  would 
march  out  between  the  files  of  the  soldiers  when  he 
had  closed  his  speech.  He  died  at  Florence,  Italy, 
May  16,  1860. 

John  Quincy  Adams,  the  sixth  president  of  the 
United  States,  was  born  in  Quincy,  formerly  Braintree, 
Mass.,  July  11,  1767.  His  convictions  were  always 
strong  and  uncompromising  with  every  principle  that 
impaired. the  liberties  of  any  man,  without  distinction 
of  color.  He  was  a  friend  of  Lundy,  Giddings  and 
other  philanthropists.  "This  is  the  last  of  earth," 
were  his  dying  words  when  suddenly  stricken  down  in 
the  halls  of  congress,  February  23,  1848. 

Cassius  M.  Clay,  born  in  Kentucky,  1811.  Edited 
the  True  American,  an  anti-slavery  paper,  at  Lexington, 
Ky.,  at  the  time  of  intense  excitement.  He  defended 
his  press  against  a  mob  with  his  rifle,  but  the  mob  after- 
ward took  advantage  of  his  prostration  on  a  bed  of 
sickness,  seized  his  newspaper  establishment  and 
shipped  it  out  of  the  state.  Mr.  Clay  is  still  living  at 
his  home  in  Kentucky. 

Horace  Greeley  was  born  at  Amherst,  N.  H.,  Feb- 
ruary 8,  1811.  He  had  published  several  papers  pre- 
vious to  the  New  York  Tribune,  in  which  paper  his  edi- 
torials teemed  with  statesmanship,  political  economy 
tempered  with  philosophy,  to  an  extent  that  made  the 
rowdy  element  of  the  country  give  him  "in  derision" 
the  epithet  of  "the  philosopher."  His  able  pen  was 
always  against  slavery,  for  which  reason  his  paper  had 
no  circulation  south  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line.  He 
was  one  of  the  principal  fathers  of  the  republican 
party,  but  when  he  ran  for  president  against  Grant  he 
was  defeated.  He  died  November  29,  1872. 


The  Underground  Railroad.  281 

The  foregoing  list  of  persons  were  the  most  promi- 
nent representatives  of  the  issue  that,  step  by  step,  had 
deepened  the  chasm  between  slavery  and  freedom. 
These  men  were  not  conservative,  but  radical.  The 
incentives  which  actuated  them  were  not  selfish,  but 
patriotic.  The  underground  railroad  between  the  United 
States  and  Canada  was  the  result  of  their  teachings. 
Chicago  was  its  storm  center  of  the  west,  and  Chicago 
men  were  conductors  on  this  covert  line.  There  were 
several  lines  on  this  road,  all  tending  toward  Canada  as  a 
common  goal.  Lines  ran  by  the  sea  coast  from  Charles- 
ton, S.  C. ,  to  Boston ;  from  Richmond,  Va. ,  Washington 
and  Baltimore  to  Philadelphia  and  New  York;  from 
Maryland  through  Pennsylvania  to  such  towns  in  New 
York  state  as  were  under  the  watchful  care  of  Gerrit 
Smith;  from  Pittsburg  to  Buffalo,  and  from  the  western 
portions  of  Virginia  to  Cleveland;  from  Kentucky  and 
the  states  south  through  Ohio  to  Cleveland;  also  a  line 
from  Cincinnati  to  Sandusky;  all  these  having  faithful 
agents  to  conduct  the  fugitives  safely  across  the  Canada 
line. 

In  Illinois  were  two  prominent  lines,  the  first  of 
which  was  called  the  Lovejoy  line,  operating  at  various 
points  northwardly;  the  other  was  a  line  from  St.  Louis 
via  Alton  and  Springfield  on  this  route  to  Chicago,  the 
grand  central  depot  of  the  western  system;  and  it  re- 
mained such  from  1839  to  1861.  The  St.  Louis  and 
Alton  line,  after  it  had  been  in  operation  a  few  years, 
was  called  the  Hunter  line,  because  Major  Charles  W. 
Hunter,  of  Alton,  had  established  many  small  stations 
in  Illinois  as  feeders  to  it.  Erastus  Wright,  of  Spring- 
field, was  his  earnest  co-worker.  The  zeal  of  the  latter 
in' the  cause  made  him  sometimes  overstep  the  bounds 
of  discretion,  in  which  cases  Abraham  Lincoln,  then  a 
young  lawyer,  defended  him  before  the  courts.  From 
Springfield,  where  the  fugitives  had  been  placed  under 
the  care  of  Mr.  Wright,  the  line  diverged  into  branches, 
through  Tazewell,  Woodford  and  Livingston  counties, 


282  The  Underground  Railroad. 

receiving  accessions  of  passengers  as  they  went  north- 
ward. St.  Louis,  Quincy,  Springfield  and  Galesburg 
were  the  stations  on  this  line,  at  each  of  which  places 
were  able  men  who  found  a  way  to  keep  its  operations 
so  secret  that  the  law  could  get  no  grip  on  them.  One 
of  the  means  of  conveying  fugitives  on  this  line  was  to 
put  them  in  an  open  wagon  covered  with  loose  hay. 
The  drivers  of  such  wagons  armed  themselves  with 
rifles  and  traveled  only  in  the  night. 

Meantime  the  exodus  from  slavery  became  more 
and  more  general,  and  at  the  Chicago  end  of  the  line 
Dr.  Dyer,  Philo  Carpenter,  Dr.  Kennicott,  Dan.  David- 
son, Deacon  Johnson,  L.  C.  P.  Freer,  Calvin  De  Wolf, 
Allan  Pinkerton  and  others  had  an  accumulation  of 
work  on  their  hands.  The  slave  hunters  were  not  less 
active ;  the  whole  state  of  Illinois  was  corralled  for 
fugitives,  the  hunters  being  bold  and  defiant,  offering 
liberal  rewards  for  assistance,  while  the  underground 
railroad  men  were  subtle  and  determined  ;  the  former 
under  the  regime  of  law,  the  latter  under  the  palladium 
of  justice.  Nor  were  Ihe  streets  of  Chicago  exempt 
from  these  rival  forces  ;  but  sometimes  their  ' '  fine 
work"  bordered  on  the  comical.  A  case  of  this  kind 
occurred  November  14,  1842.  Edwin  Heathcock  was 
the  slave  by  heredity,  according  to  the  black  code,  and 
was  properly  advertised  the  required  six  weeks  to  be 
sold  at  public  auction  if  no  master  had  come  forward  to 
claim  him  and  pay  charges  for  arrest,  etc.  What 
made  this  case  more  interesting  was  the  fact  that 
Heathcock  had  a  good  standing  in  the  community  and 
in  the  church.  Mr.  Eastman  has  told  the  story  well,  as 
follows:  "  The  selling  of  a  Methodist  brother  in  good 
and  regular  standing,  as  a  piece  of  property,  was  not  con- 
sidered altogether  proper  by  some,  even  those  who  were 
not  regarded  as  the  contemptible  abolitionists.  Abo- 
litionists were  becoming  already  numerous  in  Chicago, 
and  it  is  not  probable  that  they  would  have  allowed  so 
important  an  event  as  a  slave  sale  to  go  unnoticed. 


The  Underground  Railroad.  283 

Consequently,  late  on  Saturday  night  Calvin  De  Wolf, 
who  was  then  a  student  of  law  with  Grant  Goodrich, 
came  into  my  printing  office,  and  the  sale  on  Monday 
became  a  topic  of  conversation.  It  was  thought  not 
best  to  let  the  opportunity  pass  without  giving  due 
notice  to  the  citizens  of  Chicago,  in  order  that  there 
might  be  a  sufficient  number  of  persons  present  at  the 
sale  to  fairly  test  the  value  of  a  man  on  the  auction 
block.  It  did  not  pass.  De  Wolf  held  an  oil  lamp  at 
the  case,  while,  after  I  had  set  up  the  heading,  I  set  in 
bold  faced  type  a  hand  bill  in  these  words  : 
A  Man  for  Sale. 

"  On  Monday  morning,  at  10  o'clock,  Sheriff  Lowe 
will  sell  at  or  near  the  jail,  to  the  highest  bidder, 
Edwin  Heathcock,  now  confined  for  being  free,  to  pay 
the  legal  expenses  for  holding  him  on  suspicion  of  being 
a  slave.  The  solid  men  of  Chicago  are  requested  to  be 
present  and  witness  the  first  man  sale  in  our  county. 

"  This  was  locked  up  and  put  on  the  press,  and  while 
De  Wolf  stood  behind  and  played  the  part  of  roller  boy 
I  printed  off  fifty  copies  of  the  bill.  We  then,  at  12 
o'clock  Saturday  night,  sallied  up  Clark  street,  along 
the  line  to  be  traversed  by  the  church  goers  on  the  mor- 
row, posted  these  bills  on  the  fences  around  the  public 
square,  up  past  the  long,  low  Presbyterian  church  on 
the  right,  the  equally  low  Methodist  on  the  left,  be- 
tween Washington  and  Madison  streets,  and  on  the 
board  fences  along  and  beyond  the  houses  of  B.  E. 
Heacock,  Star  Foote,  Tuthill  King,  P.  F.  W.  Peck, 
Robert  Freeman,  Joseph  Meeker,  etc.,  on  both  sides  of 
Clark  street,  so  that  the  sober,  if  not  the  solid,  men 
should  have  full  notice  of  the  Monday  morning  sale  as 
they  went  to  and  fro  to  church,  for  the  people  of  Chi- 
cago at  that  time  were  famous  church  goers. 

"Through  the  Sabbath  day  these  bills  received  some 
marks  of  spite,  such  as  a  thrust  through  them,  or  a 
tobacco  quid  spattering  their  faces.  But  they  did 
their  work,  and,  at  the  appointed  hour,  a  crowd  of  peo- 
ple were  present  to  witness  Lowe's  slave  sale.  The 


284  The  Underground  Railroad. 

sheriff,  after  stating  the  obligations  imposed  on  him  by 
the  statute  (the  second  section  of  the  act  of  January  7, 
1829,  referring  to  free  negroes,  etc.),  proceeded  in  the 
discharge  of  his  duty. 

"  The  sheriff:  '  I  am  to  hire  out  Edwin  Heathcock 
to  the  highest  bidder  for  one  month.  How  much  is  bid 
for  Edwin  Heathcock?'  No  bid.  'How  much,  gen- 
tlemen, for  Edwin  Heathcock?  '  Still  no  bid.  '  How 
much  shall  I  have  for  Edwin  Heathcock  for  one  month? 
He  is  to  be  hired  out  for  one  month;  how  much  is  bid? 
How  much? '  And  so  for  some  time  he  solicited  a  bid. 
The  sale  was  interrupted  by  some  one  inquiring  of  the 
sheriff  if  the  person  who  became  the  purchaser  would 
be  held  responsible  for  his  return  at  the  expiration  of 
the  month.  '  No  other  responsibility  will  be  assumed 
than  what  is  required  by  the  statute.  Nothing  is  bid. 
Is  there  no  one  who  will  hire  Edwin  Heathcock?  If 
nothing  is  bid  I  shall  have  to  return  him  to  the  county 
jail.'  At  this  announcement  the  coldness  of  the  audi- 
ence seemed  to  relax;  and  after  a  few  more  invitations 
to  improve  the  opportunity  to  make  a  speculation,  a 
voice  was  heard  from  one  of  the  upper  windows  offer- 
ing twenty-five  cents  for  Edwin  Heathcock  for  one 
month.  '  Twenty-five  cents  is  bid.  Do  I  hear  any 
more  than  twenty-five  cents — twenty-five  cents — going. 
Gentlemen,  I  shall  hire  him  out  for  twenty-five  cents, 
if  no  more  is  bid.  Going — going — for  twenty-five  cents, 
only  twenty-five  cents — going — going — going — gone, 
for  twenty-five  cents.  Edwin  Heathcock  is  hired  out 
to  Mahlon  D.  Ogden  for  twenty-five  cents. ' 

"  Mahlon  D.  Ogden  held  up  the  shining  silver  quar- 
ter between  his  thumb  and  finger,  and  tendered  the  sum 
to  the  sheriff.  '  Now, '  said  Mr.  Ogden  to  his  new 
purchase,  '  Edwin,  you  are  my  man.  I  have  purchased 
you  for  twenty-five  cents.  Go  where  you  like. '  The 
announcement  was  responded  to  by  cheers  from  the 
crowd.  Sheriff  Lowe  acted  as  if  he  felt  that  he  had 
got  happily  through  with  an  unpleasant  duty,  and  said 


The  Underground  Railroad.  285 

that  he  wanted  his  fellow-citizens  to  understand  that 
he  was  but  the  agent  of  the  law,  and  only  doing1  what  it 
commanded." 

Aurora  and  Downer's  Grove  were  both  near  stations 
to  Chicago,  the  latter  place  under  care  of  J.  P.  Blod- 
gett. 

None  of  these  persons  connected  with  the  under- 
ground railroad  ever  crossed  Mason  and  Dixon's  line  to 
entice  slaves  from  their  masters.  Each  one  had  his  own 
duties  assigned  to  him,  and  enough  to  do  to  fulfill  them. 
But  there  were  some  exceptions  to  this  rule.  Occa- 
sionally overzealous  abolitionists  would  venture  into 
the  "enemy's  country"  to  entice  slaves  away,  in  most 
of  which  cases  they  were  caught  and  sent  to  state 
prison,  sometimes  for  life.  The  fugitives  generally 
came  through  their  own  innate  desire  for  liberty.  They 
traveled,  not  by  public  roads,  but  across  fields,  forests 
and  swamps,  lest  they  should  be  intercepted  by  patrol- 
men on  the  highways.  The  north  star  was  their  only 
guide.  It  was  always  safe  for  them  to  apply  at  slave 
quarters  on  any  plantation,  where  they  were  secretly 
fed,  but  not  housed. 

Up  to  the  time  of  the  passage  of  the  fugitive  slave 
law,  some  of  the  runaways,  feeling  comparatively  safe 
in  the  state  of  Illinois,  settled  down  and  engaged  in 
various  employments;  but  when  this  enactment  became 
a  law,  the  underground  railroad  men  took  immediate 
steps  to  place  them  beyond  the  Canada  line  for  safety; 
in  doing  which  a  great  accumulation  of  passengers  was 
gathered  at  the  depots  for  transportation.  Sometimes 
whole  train  loads  were  shipped,  a  good  general  account 
of  which  is  told  in  succeeding  pages  by  Mr.  Nathan 
Freer,  son  of  L.  C.  P.  Freer.  Other  accounts  from 
persons  now  living  will  also  be  inserted  in  this  article, 
which  will  shed  side  lights  on  this  struggle,  while  they 
serve  to  corroborate  statements  already  made. 

At  that  time  there  were  two  celebrated  steamers 
plying  from  Chicago  around  the  lakes,  the  "  Great  West- 


286  The  Underground  Railroad. 

era, ' '  commanded  by  Captain  Walker,  and  the  ' '  Illinois, ' ' 
commanded  by  Captain  Blake.  Both  of  these  captains 
had  the  reputation  for  generosity  and  courage  for  which 
sailors  are  noted,  and  all  the  agents  of  the  underground 
railroad  knew  that  their  respective  steamers  were  safe 
places  in  which  to  stow  away  fugitives,  because  these 
runaways,  disguised  as  firemen,  would  work  with  all 
the  more  zeal  on  their  free  passage  to  Canada.  These 
captains  never  knew  what  was  going  on  in  the  coal 
hole,  nor  did  they  know  anything  of  the  character  of 
the  passengers.  If  they  were  rich  they  paid  their 
fares  ;  if  they  had  no  money,  they  could  not  be  thrown 
overboard ;  the  worst  they  could  do  would  be  to  put 
them  off  at  the  next  landing  ;  withal,  they  never  carried 
them  beyond  Detroit  for  any  consideration.  Here  they 
were  landed,  but  always  on  the  Canada  side.  It  is  not 
strange  that  these  captains  were  suspected  of  running 
their  steamers  in  connection  with  the  underground 
railroad.  They  were  competitors  for  the  white  travel- 
ing public  from  the  south  via  St.  Louis  and  the  Illinois 
river.  In  the  saloons  of  these  steamers  there  might 
be  the  slave  masters  from  one  of  the  southern  states, 
with  wives  and  daughters,  reveling  in  the  luxury  of  a 
northern  summer  trip,  while  one  or  more  of  their  run- 
away slaves  were  firing  up  the  boat  in  the  hold  below. 
The  masters  were  happy  in  the  plenitude  of  their 
power,  but  the  slaves  were  happier  in  their  assurance 
of  freedom. 

Pending  this  state  of  things,  a  suspicion  was  appar- 
ent among  the  southern  people  that  these  captains  were 
guilty  of  carrying  fugitive  slaves  to  Canada;  and  to  cir- 
cumvent them  they  sent  a  spy  to  Chicago.  This  Paul 
Pry  had  a  thorny  path  to  travel.  He  soon  learned  that 
four  slaves  were  run  off  in  Captain  Walker's  steamer, 
with  the  knowledge  of  the  captain.  He  had  also  learned 
that  Dr.  Dyer  had  sent  slaves  on  his  boat;  but  any 
attempt  on  his  part  to  obtain  a  legal  hold  upon  the  im- 
pervious doctor  or  other  abolitionists  in  this  business 


The  Underground  Railroad.  287 

was  made  too  intricate,  by  the  uncertainties  of  a  legal 
process,  to  be  successful,  and  he  was  obliged  to  aban- 
don the  mission  on  which  he  had  been  sent. 

BLACK  LAWS  OF  ILLINOIS. 

In  1720,  when  little  was  known  of  the  mineral  re- 
sources of  the  Illinois  country,  an  opinion  prevailed 
that  gold  and  other  precious  metals  abounded  in  this 
unknown  region.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Okau  river,  now 
the  Kaskaskia,  was  a  thriving  French  settlement,  in 
which  Philip  Francis  Renault  was  a  leading  spirit. 
The  lead  mines  of  Galena  had  already  yielded  profits 
to  its  pioneer  workers,  and  if  the  country  around  was 
as  rich  in  minerals  as  Galena  was  in  lead,  slave  labor 
could  be  profitably  employed  to  develop  this  new  in- 
dustry; accordingly  Renault  at  his  own  expense  pur- 
chased and  imported  500  negro  slaves  from  St.  Do- 
mingo. Not  long  after  their  arrival  it  was  found  that 
there  were  no  mines  to  be  worked,  in  consequence  of 
which  some  of  them  were  deported  to  work  the  Galena 
mines;  and  the  remainder  were  purchased  by  the  set- 
tlers to  till  the  soil.  These,  slaves  were  composed  of 
both  sexes,  and  some  of  them  married  after  the  fashion 
of  slave  marriages;  but  by  the  ordinance  of  1787, 
slavery  could  not  exist  in  the  northwest  territory,  and 
they  became  free.  When  Illinois  became  a  separate 
territory  in  1809,  a  law  was  passed  requiring  persons 
of  negro  blood  to  procure  a  certificate  of  their  freedom, 
without  which  if  found  ten  miles  from  home  any  white 
person  could  arrest  them,  bring  them  before  a  justice, 
and  cause  them  to  be  punished  with  thirty-nine  lashes 
on  their  bare  backs.  There  were  various  other 
penalties  inflicted  upon  negroes,  according  to  the 
whimsical  advocates  of  slavery,  who  were  important 
factors  in  the  Illinois  legislature;  but  they  were  gen- 
erally a  dead  letter  on  the  statute  book.  Any  attempt 
to  execute  them  produced  a  turmoil,  a  notable  instance 
of  which  is  told- by  Mr.  Eastman.  He  says:  "The 
first  time  I  ever  had  any  knowledge  of  'The  Black 


288  The  Underground  Railroad. 

Code  '  was  when  I  took  my  first  dinner  in  Chicago,  at 
the  old  Tremont  house,  in  1839.  I  heard  at  the  head  of 
the  table  some  loud  and  pronounced  talking,  from 
which  came  the  expressions  that  the  poor  fellows  were 
badly  treated,  and  that  it  was  a  shame  for  civilized 
people  to  have  such  a  law.  What  was  it?  Why,  they 
said,  the  darkies  of  the  city  had  all  been  taken  up  to 
the  court  house  and  put  under  bonds  for  their  free- 
dom." Continuing,  Mr.  Eastman  says:  "If  the 
servants  had  escaped  from  their  masters  they  had  to 
be  advertised  as  runaways."  This  black  code  re- 
mained on  the  statute  book  until  John  Jones,  a  well 
known  colored  citizen  of  Chicago,  went  to  Springfield, 
in  1864,  with  a  petition  to  which  he  had  procured  a  long 
list  of  signers,  asking  that,  since  his  race  had  been 
made  free,  all  the  laws  that  made  distinction  on  account 
of  color  should  be  repealed.  The  petition  was  granted. 

During  this  exciting  prelude  to  the  civil  war,  one 
fugitive  case  came  up  that  involved  international  law. 
A  slave  named  Anderson  made  his  escape  from  St. 'Louis 
to  Illinois,  was  protected  at  Alton,  whence  he  was  sent 
to  Canada  on  the  underground  railroad.  Before  arriv- 
ing at  Alton  he  was  pursued  by  his  master,  but  in  the 
chase  the  master  was  killed  by  the  runaway.  The  inter- 
vention of  the  United  States  government  was  invoked 
by  the  governor  of  Missouri,  to  return  this  fugitive  by 
virtue  of  the  extradition  treaty  between  England  and 
America.  After  a  careful  consideration  of  the  case  the 
British  refused  to  return  him,  on  the  ground  that  said 
killing  was  justifiable  homicide,  slavery  not  being 
recognized  in  Canada  as  a  legal  institution,  on  which 
issue  the  case  hinged. 

L.  C.  Paine  Freer,  abolitionist  and  underground 
railroad  operator,  was  descended  from  liberty  loving 
ancestry,  both  on  the  paternal  and  maternal  side.  His 
father  was  of  French  Huguenot  extraction,  and  born  at 
New  Paltz,  N.  Y.,  in  the  well  known  colony  of  French 
Huguenots.  His  mother  was  of  the  New  England  fam- 


Tfie  Underground  Railroad. 


289 


ily  of  Paines,  distinguished  in  the  early  history  of  our 
republic.  He  arrived  in  Chicago  in  1836,  fully  in  sym- 
pathy with  anti-slavery  sentiments,  and  rapidly  acquired 
influence  with  the  abolitionists  of  Chicago  and  the 
northwest.  During  the  period  of  the  greatest  activity 
of  the  underground  railroad  he  was  very  prominent  in 
the  work;  and  his  home  was  open  not  only  to  colored 
speakers,  but  also  to  the  humble  fugitive  from  slavery. 
He  encountered  personal  danger  on  more  than  one 
occasion,  as  he  was  forced  to  oppose  armed  court  offi- 


cials  and  slave  owners,  the  former  with  legal  warrants. 
There  was  a  standing  reward  in  one  slave  state  for  his 
head.  On  one  occasion  he  and  a  party  on  horseback 
chased  some  slave  catchers  nearly  across  the  state  of 
Illinois,  but  unsuccessfully.  On  another  occasion  a 
party  of  slave  catchers  were  in  town  for  the  purpose 
of  returning  to  her  master  a  light  colored  woman  who 
had  resided  in  Chicago  a  number  of  years.  Mr.  Freer 
and  three  others  (undoubtedly  Dr.  C.  V.  Dyer  and  Cal- 
vin De  Wolf  were  of  the  party)  disguised  themselves  so 


290  TJie  Underground  Railroad. 

that  they  looked  very  dangerous;  and  repairing  to  the 
hotel  where  the  slave  catchers  were,  bustled  right  up 
to  where  the  latter  were  talking,  and  pulling  out  sav- 
age looking  knives,  took  seats  alongside,  and  while 
they  used  their  weapons  freely  on  the  chairs,  they 
exclaimed  to  each  other  that  such  was  the  way  they 
used  slave  catchers.  It  soon  became  too  hot  for  the 
latter,  and  they  adjourned  to  a  passageway  up  stairs. 
Mr.  Freer's  party  followed  them,  and  they  took  to  their 
rooms.  The  pursuers,  now  seating  themselves  m 
chairs  outside  the  room  doors,  continued  the  persecu- 
tion. Before  midnight  the  slave  catchers  had  left  the 
city  without  the  woman.  • 

One  of  Mr.  Freer's  last  acts  in  the  cause  of  free- 
dom was  to  call  a  meeting  at  his  office  soon  after  the 
civil  war  had  begun,  at  which  meeting  funds  were 
raised  to  send  a  train  load  of  fugitive  slaves  from  Chi- 
cago to  Canada.  The  party  left  from  the  Michigan 
Southern  depot  one  pleasant  Sunday  afternoon.  Many 
of  them  having  resided  in  Illinois  since  their  escape 
from  slavery,  now  forced  to  leave  their  associations 
here,  the  sight  was  painful  in  the  extreme.  Mr.  Freer's 
wife,  Esther  Marvie  Freer, was  always  in  full  sympathy 
with  his  acts  in  the  "  great  cause, "  and  assisted  him 
to  the  extent  of  her  opportunities.  Mr.  Freer  died  in 
Chicago  April  14,  1892.* 

t  SLAVERY  IN   THE   UNITED   STATES. 
BY  GEORGE  SCHNEIDER. 

The  exact  history  of  slavery  in  this  country  has 
not  been  written,  and  the  man  for  whom  this  work  is 
reserved  may  not  be  born  yet. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  history  of  this  republic, 
slavery  had  a  legal  existence  in  nearly  every  state  and 
section,  and  the  importation  of  slaves  belonged  to  the 
legitimate  commercial  enterprises. 

Judge  Northrup,  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  who  wrote  the 
history  of  slavery  in  New  York  state,  deserves  great 

*The  foregoing  sketch  of  Mr.  Freer  was  furnished  by  his  son,  Mr. 
Nathan  Freer. 


The  Underground  Railroad. 


291 


credit  and  praise  for  his  work.  This  is  only  the  begin- 
ning of  exact  history  writing.  The  next  thing  in  order 
should  be  the  history  of  the  slave  trade  carried  on  by 
such  seaport  towns  as  Bristol,  R.  I. 

Slavery,  and  the  importation  of  slaves  had  a  national 
existence,  and  the  institution  declined  for  the  reason 
that  it  did  not  continue  to  be  profitable  from  a  commer- 
cial standpoint.  But  the  slaves  did  not  all  come  from 
Africa  and  were  not  all  black,  but  a  very  lucrative  trade 
was  carried  on  from  Europe.  Wars  and  religious  per- 


secutions had  driven  thousands  of  poor  homeless  people 
to  the  seaports  of  northern  Europe,  and  ship  owners 
from  America  found  them  there  and  placed  them  under 
contract  for  their  passage  money  to  America,  to  remain 
for  a  certain  number  of  years  in  servitude.  They  were 
carried  to  American  ports,  and  in  Maryland,  Charleston 
and  New  Orleans  they  were  sold  in  the  open  slave  mar- 
ket, and  in  many  cases  were  mixed  with  the  negro 
slaves.  The  children  of  these  unholy  unions  were,  un- 
der the  laws,  considered  as  slaves,  and  brought  the 
highest  price  under  the  hammer  as  servants  of  a  higher 
class.  Cases  of  this  kind  of  slaves  occupied  the  courts 


292  The  Underground  Railroad. 

of  Baltimore  and  New  Orleans  up  to  the  50's.  In  the 
north,  one  state  after  another  abolished  slavery,  and  a 
limitation  was  placed  to  its  extension  by  the  Missouri 
compromise.  The  thinking  men  of  the  southern  states 
perceived  that  in  order  to  save  the  institution,  and  with 
it  the  political,  social  and  industrial  status  of  the  south- 
ern states,  it  became  an  absolute  necessity  to  give  it  a 
national  character  again.  The  times  were  favorable  to 
this  great  aim  of  the  southern  statesmen.  Both  the 
great  political  parties  of  the  country  had  become  sub- 
missive to  the  dictates  of  the  south,  and  even  the  com- 
mercial, financial  and,  to  some  extent,  the  religious 
organizations  of  the  north  appeared  to  be  anxious  and 
willing  to  satisfy  the  demands  of  the  imperious  slave 
holders.  In  the  state  of  Connecticut  a  mob  destroyed 
a  school  kept  by  a  white  teacher  for  the  instruction  of 
colored  children,  and  at  Alton,  111. ,  the  printing  estab- 
lishment of  a  paper,  which  had  not  sanctioned  the  slave 
laws  and  slavery,  was  destroyed  by  a  mob,  and  its  pro- 
prietor killed.  The  parole  in  the  north  was,  ' '  Peace 
with  the  south  at  any  price,"  and  the  writer  of  this 
heard  in  the  legislature  of  the  state  of  Illinois  an  after- 
ward senator  of  the  United  States  and  a  great  Union 
general,  defend  human  slavery. 

A  man  known  as  an  abolitionist  was  considered  as 
not  belonging  to  good  society,  and  was  uniformly  treated 
with  contempt.  Even  the  great  Lincoln  appeared  at 
that  time  to  be  sensitive  when,  in  public  debate,  the 
word  "abolitionist "  was  thrown  at  him.  This  was  the 
state  of  society  in  the  Union,  when,  at  the  dictates  of 
the  south,  congress  passed  the  fugitive  slave  law,  with 
all  its  horrors,  and  made,  through  it,  the  north  the 
hunting  ground  of  fugitive  slaves. 

For  the  first  time  there  was  an  awakening  of  pub- 
lic conscience  in  the  north,  and  a  fierce  agitation  com- 
menced. 

At  this  time  Europe  had  been  shaken  by  the  up- 
rising of  the  masses  against  the  oppression,  and  a  great 


The  Underground  Railroad.  293 

struggle  began,  more  especially  in  Germany,  for  the 
unification  of  the  thirty-six  states  of  Germany  to  an 
empire  under  a  national  legislature.  This  revolution- 
ary movement  was  defeated,  and  the  flower  of  the 
youth  of  Germany  had  to  emigrate  and  seek  new  homes 
in  this  country.  They  were  almost  all  masters  of  the 
pen,  and  naturally  took  charge  of  the  papers  printed  in 
the  German  language,  and  with  hardly  any  exception 
opposed  slavery  and  all  its  enactments.  A  new  ele- 
ment had  appeared  in  the  political  parties  of  the  north 
and  even  in  some  parts  of  the  south,  like  St.  Louis, 
Baltimore,  Louisville,  Wheeling,  W.  Va.,  etc.,  with 
which  the  leaders  of  the  south  had  not  reckoned,  The 
old  abolitionists  became  emboldened,  and  the  fugitive 
slave  law  was  openly  opposed. 

This  was  the  time  when  the  so  called  underground 
railway  was  organized.  The  great  route  commenced 
at  the  Ohio  river,  with  Cincinnati  as  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal starting  points,  and  with  stations  through  Indiana 
and  northern  Illinois,  Chicago  became  naturally  the 
great  station  where  the  fugitives  found  a  resting  place 
and  received  their  outfits  for  their  transit  to  Canada. 
The  writer  has  no  list  of  the  honored  names  of  these 
agents.  But  among  the  men  who  were  the  most  active 
and  self-sacrificing  at  Chicago,  I  would  name  Dr.  Dyer, 
L.  C.  P.  Freer,  Zebina  Eastman,  Calvin  De  Wolf,  Philo 
Carpenter,  Allan  Pinkerton,  the  founder  of  the  de- 
tective firm  now  carried  on  by  his  sons,  Mr.  Kennedy, 
the  city  marshal  as  the  chief  of  police  at  that  time,  Mr. 
Isbell,  a  colored  barber,  William  H.  Brown,  a  fearless 
opponent  of  the  introduction  of  slavery  in  the  state  of 
Illinois,  Dr.  Aaron  Gibbs  and  Mr.  George  Schneider, 
then  editor  of  the  Illinois  Staats  Zeitung,  the  German 
daily  paper.  There  were,  of  course,  many  others 
whose  names  have  escaped  the  writer's  memory. 

There  were  stations  in  the  principal  cities  of 
Michigan  to  the  borders  of  Canada.  The  organization 
was  kept  up  to  the  time  of  the  outbreak  of  the  civil 


294  The  Underground  Railroad. 

war,  and  will  always  form  a  very  interesting  chapter 
in  the  history  of  the  country. 

The  fugitive  slaves  found  good  homes  in  Canada. 
To  the  credit  of  the  Canadian  people,  it  may  be  said 
there  never  had  been  any  lynching,  and  the  descend- 
ants of  these  fugitive  slaves  received,  as  it  seems  to  be, 
a  good  common  school  education.  We  find  many  of 
them  at  the  present  time  working  as  waiters,  barbers 
and  porters  in  northern  summer  resorts,  and  they  all 
appear  to  be  well  behaved  and  ready  with  the  pen. 

I  would  say,  for  comparison,  that  the  colored  people 
emerging  from  slavery  have  reached  as  good  a  point  of 
civilization,  and  even  better  than  the  serfs  in  Russia, 
who  have  been  liberated  by  Emperor  Alexander  II. 

CHARLES  VOLNEY  DYER,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Dyer  was  born  in  Clarendon,  Vt.,  June  12, 
1808.  His  father  was  Daniel  Dyer,  a  lineal  descend- 
ant of  William  Dyre,  first  secretary  of  Rhode  Island, 
and  Mary,  his  wife,  the  Quaker  martyr.  Dr.  Dyer's 
mother  was  Susan,  daughter  of  Gideon  Olin,  and 
sister  of  Judge  Abraham  Olin.  Of  Mary  Dyre,  or 
Dyer,  Governor  Winthrop,  in  his  journal,  dated  1638, 
says  :  "A  fair  woman  of  a  very  proud  spirit";  and  she 
herself  said  in  Boston  at  her  trial  :  ' '  My  life  is  not 
accepted  nor  availeth  me  in  comparison  of  the  lives  and 
liberty  of  the  truth."  Although  once  reprieved  from 
death  on  condition  that  she  would  not  return  to  Massa- 
chusetts, she  did  go  back  to  succor  her  oppressed  co- 
religionists, the  Quakers,  and  suffered  death  for  so 
doing.  The  blood  of  the  martyrs  is  said  to  be  the  seed 
of  the  church  ;  in  this  case  it  proved  the  germ  of  relig- 
ious liberty,  for  within  a  year  after  her  death  Charles 
II  caused  the  abolition  of  the  death  penalty  for  Quakers. 

All  honor  and  praise  to  the  women  and  men 

Who  spoke  for  the  dumb  and  the  down  trodden  then ; 

I  need  not  to  name  them ;  already  for  each 

I  see  history  preparing-  a  statue  and  niche. 

Thus  sang  Lowell  in  praise  of  the  early  sufferers 
in  the  anti-slavery  cause.  Is  it  not  true  that  they  per- 


The  Underground  Railroad. 


295 


petuated  the  traits  of  their  ancestors,  and  are  the  words 
not  as  applicable  to  Mary  Dyer  as  to  the  people  of  our 
age? 

Dr.  Dyer  came  to  Chicago  in  August,  1835,  from 
Newark,  N.  Y.,  where  he  had  been  practicing  medicine 
since  his  graduation  at  Middlebury  College  in  1830.  He 
at  once  identified  himself  with  the  public  active  life  of 
the  place,  for  he  was  a  candidate  for  state  representa- 
tive the  following  year;  he  was  ineligible,  however, 
because  he  had  not  lived  a  year  in  the  state.  In 


1836  he  was  elected  clerk,  but  resigned  at  once.  In 
1838  he  was  commissioned  surgeon  at  Fort  Dearborn, 
where  his  oldest  child  was  born.  He  married,  in  1837, 
Louisa  Gifford,  sister  of  James  Talcott  Gifford,  the 
founder  of  Elgin,  111.  Both  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Dyer  were 
identified  with  the  anti-slavery  cause,  and  the  earliest 
recollections  of  their  children  are  of  visits  from  Owen 
Lovejoy  and  other  prominent  abolitionists.  A  tract 
which  was  widely  circulated  in  those  days  consisted  of 


296  The  Underground  Railroad. 

Whittier's  poem,  "  The  Yankee  Girl, "  and  an  address 
to  the  women  of  America,  written  by  Mrs.  Dyer.  After 
the  death  of  the  martyr  Love  joy,  it  was  felt  that  there 
ought  to  be  a  mouthpiece  for  anti-slavery  sentiments 
in  Washington,  and  Dr.  Dyer  was  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee to  establish  the  National  Era,  with  Gamaliel 
Baily  as  editor  and  Whittier  and  Phelps  (?)  as  assist- 
ants. 

Dr.  Dyer  was  a  warm  friend  of  President  Lincoln, 
and  was  appointed  by  him  the  first  judge  from  the 
United  States  in  the  mixed  court  for  the  suppression  of 
the  slave  trade,  an  international  tribunal  holding  its 
sessions  in  Sierra  Leone. 

He  was  a  man  of  fine  literary  taste  and  a  wonder- 
ful memory,  and  those  who  were  privileged  to  meet  him 
abroad  will  remember  him  as  the  rarest  of  cicerones. 
Every  possible  association,  literary  or  historical,  with 
the  spot  he  was  visiting,  seemed  to  be  at  his  command, 
and  he  illuminated  all  with  his  ready  wit.  One  evening 
spent  with  Charlotte  Cushman  in  Rome  stands  out  in 
the  memory  of  the  writer,  when  the  doctor  and  his 
hostess  told  stories  and  sang  songs  to  each  other  for 
two  hours.  He  characterized  the  inclination  of  the 
tower  of  Pisa  as  "a  mechanic's  lean."  She  told 
of  her  visit  to  the  White  House,  when  she  went  over  to 
America  to  act  for  the  sanitary  commission  fund  (pay- 
ing all  her  expenses  and  giving  the  entire  proceeds  to 
the  fund — this  she  did  not  tell,  but  we  knew  it),  and  of 
how  she  seated  herself  where  she,  the  finished  actress, 
might  see  with  amusement  the  awkward  gait  of  the 
ungainly  "rail  splitter."  "The  tall  form  appeared  in 
the  door,  hands  outstretched  and  eyes  beaming  a  wel- 
come, and  utterly  unconscious  of  anything  except  the 
grateful  welcome  he  was  bearing,  he  traversed  the 
length  of  the  rooms  with  the  most  regal  and  majestic 
tread  that  I  have  ever  seen."  Dr.  Dyer  was  in  Rome 
when  the  sad  news  of  Lincoln's  assassination  came,  and 
was  chosen  to  deliver  the  address  to  the  American 


The  Underground  Railroad.  297 

colony  there  on  the  occasion  of  their  memorial  meet- 
ing. He  was  also  invited  to  speak  at  a  banquet  held  in 
Florence  in  the  same  year  on  the  600th  anniversary  of 
Dante's  birth,  which  the  doctor  did  through  an  inter- 
preter, and  when  he  mentioned  Abraham  Lincoln  and 
himself  choked  with  emotion,  every  one  present  rose  to 
his  feet  and  bowed  his  head  in  silence.* 


In  interviewing  Mrs.  Mary  Jones,   widow  of  the 
late  John  Jones  (colored),  her  words  are  herewith  re- 


ported  verbatim,  the  better  to  express  her  recollections 
of  the  eventful  period  of  the  anti-slavery  issue : 

About  the  time  we  came  to  Chicago,  1845,  there 
were  three  girls  who  escaped  from  slavery  in  Missouri, 
who  came  here  in  a  wagon  covered  in  straw,  which  was 
late  in  the  fall,  and  they  remained  here  until  navigation 
opened,  and  then  they  were  sent  on  to  Canada. 

At  one  time  Dr.  Dyer  told  a  slave  in  front  of  the 
oldTremont  house:  "You  don't  belong  to  anybody.  Go 
about  your  own  business. "  His  master  heard  what  the 

*The  material  for  the  foregoing-  sketch  was  furnished  by  Stella 
Dyer,  loving-  daughter  of  Dr.  Dyer. 


298  The  Underground  Railroad. 

doctor  said,  and  he  rushed  up  and  struck  him,  which 
caused  a  fight,  and  in  the  disturbance  the  doctor  broke 
his  cane  over  the  slave  owner's  head,  and  after  that 
friends  of  the  doctor  made  him  a  present  of  a  fine  gold 
headed  cane,  w.hich  is  now  in  the  Historical  Society. 

The  fugitive  slave  law  was  passed  on  a  Saturday 
night,  and  on  Sunday,  after  the  law  had  been  passed, 
the  friends  of  freedom  chartered  cars  enough  to  send 
every  fugitive  slave  from  here  and  around  the  country, 
out  of  this  country  into  Canada.  They  went  out  and 
loaded  up  the  cars  at  what  I  believe  was  then  called 
the  Sherman  street  station,  and  I  remember  at  that 
time,  a  man  came  along  who  looked  as  if  he  might  do  a 
great  deal  of  fighting,  and  he  told  the  slave  owners  and 
friends,  "if  they  would  bring  one  man  at  a  time  he 
would  not  leave  one  of  them."  The  men  who  got  these 
cars  together,  what  few  I  now  remember,  were  Charles 
V.  Dyer,  Zebina  Eastman,  John  Jones,  L.  C.  P.  Freer, 
Calvin  De  Wolf,  Henry  Bradford,  Mr.  Bridges,  Louis 
Isabell,  H.  O.  Wagner  and  others. 

The  first  time  I  ever  met  John  Brown  he  came  to 
our  house  one  afternoon  with  Fred  Douglas,  and  they 
sat  up  until  late  and  John  Brown  stayed  ail  night.  Mr. 
Douglas  said  he  was  a  nice  man,  and  Mr.  Jones  wanted 
to  know  if  I  could  make  some  provision  for  him  to  stay 
all  night,  that  he  did  not  want  to  send  him  away,  and 
he  remained  all  night.  I  told  Mr.  Jones  I  thought  he 
was  a  little  off  on  the  slavery  question,  and  that  I  did 
not  think  he  was  right,  and  that  I  did  not  believe  he 
could  ever  do  what  he  wanted  to  do,  and  that  somebody 
would  have  to  give  up  his  life  before  it  was  done.  The 
next  morning  I  asked  him  if  he  had  any  family.  He 
said:  "Yes,  madam,  I  have  quite  a  large  family,  be- 
sides over  a  million  other  people  I  am  looking  out  for, 
and  some  of  these  days  I  am  going  to  free  them,  if  I 
live  long  enough."  I  thought  to  myself,  How  are  you 
going  to  free  them?  Well  then,  after  that  time,  until 
he  went  to  Kansas,  he  dropped  into  our  house  most  any 


The  Underground  Railroad. 


299 


time,  generally  in  the  morning1,  and  stayed  until  long 
in  the  afternoon. 

He  would  talk  about  the  slavery  question,  about 
war,  and  say  what  might  be  done  in  the  hills  and  moun- 
tains of  Pennsylvania  ;  and  Mr.  Jones  would  say  : 
'  '  Why,  Mr.  Brown,  that  is  all  wind,  and  there  is  nothing 
to  it  ;  and  besides,  you  would  lose  your  life  if  you  un- 
dertook to  carry  out  your  plans."  And  I  remember 
how  Mr.  Brown  looked  when  he  snapped  his  finger 


and  said  :  "  What  do  I  care  for  my  life?"  He  spoke 
low  and  distinctly,  and  said,  with  a  snap  of  his  finger  : 
"  What  do  I  care  for  my  life,  if  I  can  do  what  I  want 
to  do — if  I  can  free  these  negroes?"  But  Mr.  Jones 
told  him  that  he  did  not  believe  his  ideas  would  ever  be 
carried  out.  During  the  several  times  that  he  was  com- 
ing to  our  house,  and  in  these  talks,  I  remember  that 
he  also  said  to  Mr.  Jones  :  "I  tell  you  what  you  do,  Mr. 
Jones  ;  you  lay  in  a  supply  of  sugar,  corn,  coffee  and 
cotton,  because  I  am  going  to  raise  the  £rice  of  it" 
meaning,  of  course,  that  he  expected  to  stop  slavery, 


300  The  Underground  Railroad. 

and  that  more  would  have  to  be  paid  for  raising  these 
articles. 

After  being  in  Kansas  awhile,  he  came  on  here 
with  thirteen  slaves.  One  morning  some  one  rang  the 
bell,  and  Mr.  Jones  went  down  and  answered  the  bell, 
about  daylight,  and  I  heard  several  men  talking.  I 
had  been  reading  about  how  many  men  he  had  around 
him,  and  I  said  to  my  husband  :  "I  do  not  want  John 
Brown's  fighters.  I  am  willing  to  take  care  of  him, 
but  not  his  fighters,"  and  told  him  that  he  would  lay 
himself  liable,  but  he  said  :  "They  are  here,  and  I  am 
going  to  let  them  in."  I  don't  know  how  many,  but 
four  or  five  of  the  roughest  looking  men  I  ever  saw. 
They  had  boots  up  to  their  knees,  and  their  pants  down 
in  their  boots,  and  they  looked  like  they  were  ready  to 
fight  ,  but  they  behaved  very  nicely,  and  I  came  down- 
stairs right  away.  But  Mr.  Brown  said:  "Now,  Mr. 
Jones,  if  you  will  give  my  men  a  little  bite,  as  they  have 
had  nothing  to  eat,  we  will  go  away  from  you,  and  won't 
be  heard  of  any  more  to-day  ;  and  just  give  them  a  little 
bite  of  something."  So  we  did,  and  Mr.  Jones  came 
downstairs  and  we  all  had  breakfast ;  so  then  Mr.  Brown 
went  away,  or  started,  and  I  asked  him  if  he  would  not 
have  some  more  coffee,  and  he  said:  "  Yes,  I  will  take 
a  little  more  coffee,  because  I  ate  very  little  dinner 
yesterday,  and  will  have  some  more  coffee. ' '  That  shows 
he  had  system  in  all  things.  Sure  enough,  these  men 
went  away  and  my  husband  left,  and  nobody  was  left 
at  the  house  but  John  Brown  and  I  ;  and  by  and  by  a 
boy  came  to  the  door — I  think  he  was  a  train  boy  who 
peddled  books  on  the  train — and  asked  for  Mr.  Jones. 
I  told  him  he  was  not  in.  He  said  the  conductor  told 
him  to  come  to  Mr.  Jones  and  see  where  he  was,  be- 
cause he  said  all  the  people  who  came  in  this  morning 
were  suspicious  looking  people  and  had  negroes  with 
them,  and  the  conductor  thought  they  were  going  to 
take  the  negrbes  down  to  Missouri  and  sell  them,  and  he 
did  not  want  it  that  way  I  did  not  say  to  him  that  John 


The  Underground  Railroad.  301 

Brown  was  in  the  house,  but  I  kept  that  a  secret ;  and 
I  did  not  tell  him  that  I  knew  about  these  men,  because 
I  did  not  ;  but  I  told  him  where  to  go  to  find  the  anti- 
slavery  people — Mr.  Freer  and  Dr.  Dyer.  What  he 
wanted  was  some  one  to  look  after  these  slaves  and  see 
that  they  were  not  sent  to  Missouri.  He  said  there 
was  a  very  suspicious  white  man  who  had  these  negroes,, 
and  it  was  supposed  they  intended  to  take  them  to 
Missouri,  while  the  negroes  believed  they  were  going  to 
be  taken  to  Canada.  But  the  boy  left,  and  by  and  by  I 
answered  the  door  again,  and  there  was  Mr.  Pinker- 
ton,  whom  I  had  met  before,  and  I  began  a  conversation 
with  him.  And  just  at  that  time  the  fugitive  slave  law 
was  in  force,  and  altogether  it  made  me  feel  a  little 
nervous,  as  I  did  not  know  whether  he  was  on  the  right 
side  or  not.  But  he  spoke,  and  said:  "This  is  Mrs. 
Jones,  I  believe, ' '  and  said :  "Is  John  Brown  stopping 
with  you?"  I  thought  the  truth  was  the  best,  any- 
how, and  asked  him  to  come  in,  and  did  not  know  what 
the  result  might  be.  But  as  soon  as  he  saw  John 
Brown  I  knew  they  were  friends,  and  Mr.  Pinkerton 
was  on  the  right  side  ;  and  so  they  were  very  friendly 
together  and  were  very  glad  to  see  each  other.  Mr. 
Pinkerton  said  he  had  been  to  see  the  slaves  Mr. 
Brown  had  brought  in,  and  he  said  they  were  going  to 
be  looked  after.  "  I  am  going  to  get  money  enough  to 
send  these  negroes  out  of  the  city,"  he  said  ;  "Mrs. 
Jones  will  take  good  care  of  you  to-day,"  and  of  course 
I  said  "Yes."  And  then  their  anti-slavery  friends 
came  up  to  see  John  Brown,  and  Dr.  Dyer  suggested 
giving  him  a  suit  of  clothes  and  said  that  would  be  a 
good  disguise  for  him.  Dr.  Dyer,  Mr.  Freer,  and  I  do 
not  know  how  many,  were  there  ;  and  one  man,  whose 
name  I  cannot  remember,  was  about  the  same  size  as 
John  Brown,  and  he  went  down  in  town  and  fitted  the 
clothes  on  himself,  because  they  did  not  want  to  send 
John  Brown  down  in  town.  He  brought  them  to  John 


302  The  Underground  Railroad. 

Brown,  and   I  guess  John  Brown  was  hung  in  these 
same  clothes. 

One  of  the  girls  which  I  told  you  about,  that  came 
here  from  Missouri  covered  with  straw,  is  now  living 
in  Chicago.  They  were  all  sent  away  from  Chicago. 
One  got  married  and  died,  and  I  do  not  know  what  be- 
came of  the  other;  but  one  drifted  back  to  Chicago. 
Her  husband  had  been  in  the  war,  and  she  came  here 
to  see  if  Mr.  Jones  could  identify  her  to  get  a  pension, 
and  she  had  four  girls.  One  of  the  girls  lived  with  us 
for  five  years,  and  went  to  school  and  was  accepted  as 
a  teacher. 

MR.  RUFUS  BLANCHARD  : 

My  Dear  Sir. — Replying  to  your  favor  of  the  19th 
inst. ,  I  herewith  inclose  you  a  picture  of  my  father, 
the  late  Allan  Pinkerton.  Concerning  his  standing 
with  the  abolitionists  in  the  early  days  in  Illinois,  I 
would  state  my  father  came  to  this  country  in  1842;  he 
was  a  native  of  Glasgow,  Scotland,  was  married  to 
Joan  Crafrae,  and  sailed  the  day  after  his  marriage 
from  Glasgow;  he  was  shipwrecked  at  Sable  island  in 
the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  and  eventually  rescued  with 
the  other  passengers  and  landed  at  Montreal,  and  from 
there  went  to  Detroit,  and  from  Detroit  overland  to 
Chicago.  He  was  by  trade  a  cooper,  and  for  a  short  time 
worked  in  Chicago,  as  a  cooper,  then  moved  farther  west 
to  the  Scotch  settlement  of  Dundee,  Kane  county,  111., 
where  he  established  a  cooperage  business,  in  company 
with  his  brother  Robert  Pinkerton,  and  there  all  of  his 
children  were  born,  with  the  exception  of  his  youngest 
daughter,  Joan,  now  Mrs.  Win.  J.  Chalmers,  of  Chicago. 
The  settlers  around  Dundee  were  mostly  Scotch,  and 
were  almost  entirely  abolitionists.  He  very  soon  be- 
came identified  with  the  abolitionists  of  Chicago, 
headed  by  Jas.  H.  Collins,  Dr.  Dyer,  Calvin  De  Wolf 
and  other  people  of  that  class;  and  my  earliest  recol- 
lection goes  back  to  the  house  in  which  I  was  born — a 


The  Underground  Railroad.  303 

small  farm  house  at  the  top  of  the  river  in  Dundee, 
with  a  one-story  brick  store  adjoining1,  and  a  large 
cooper  shop  in  the  rear.  In  this  cooper  shop  there 
were  employed  a  number  of  white  men,  and  at  least  a 
half  dozen  runaway  slaves  who  had  escaped  from  bond- 
age, who  had  made  their  way  that  far  north,  and  who 
had  been  sent  out  through  the  underground  railway  to  a 
settlement  where  they  were  taken  in  hand  by  my  father, 
and  there  they  learned  their  trade  as  coopers.  Some 
of  these  people,  I  believe,  are  still  living,  although  they 
would  be  very  old  men  now. 

My  father  took  out  his  citizenship  papers  shortly 
after  his  arrival,  and  soon  after  became  a  citizen 
of  the  United  States.  He  was  appointed  deputy 
sheriff  in  Kane  county,  and  from  his  position  as 
deputy  sheriff,  on  account  of  his  success  in  breaking 
up  several  gangs  of  horse  thieves  and  counterfeiters 
which  then  infested  the  country,  he  was  appointed 
to  a  similar  position  in  Chicago.  He  came  to  this 
city  as  deputy  sheriff  under,  I  believe,  Wm.  L.  Church, 
who  was  then  the  sheriff.  On  arriving  in  Chicago 
he  became  actively  identified  with  the  workings  of 
the  underground  railway  and  the  abolitionist  party 
in  Chicago;  in  fact,  he  became  a  leader  among  them, 
and  many  an  unfortunate  slave  escaping  from  bondage 
passed  through  his  hands  to  other  agents  of  the  under- 
ground railway,  until  they  were  safely  landed  in 
Canada. 

I  recollect — it  must  have  been  in  1859  or  1860— 
when  the  family  resided  on  Adams  street,  on  the  pres- 
ent site  of  the  general  offices  of  the  Burlington  rail- 
road, of  my  father  saying  to  me  that  he  wanted  me  to 
go  with  him  in  the  evening;  he  led  me  through  what 
was  then  known  as  Wells  street,  but  now  Fifth  avenue, 
to  the  corner  of  Polk  street,  then  we  turned  east  to  the 
center  of  the  block  between  Sherman  and  Wells  streets, 
where  there  was  a  small  mill,  owned  by  an  old  negro 
named  Wagner.  This  mill  was  simply  grinding  cracked 


304  The  Underground  Railroad. 

wheat  and  cereals  of  that  kind,  and  the  business  was 
quite  a  small  one.  In  this  house  were  gathered  a  num- 
ber of  white  men  and  a  number  of  negroes.  I  recollect 
distinctly  that  the  white  men  were  bearded  and  rough 
looking  chaps,  some  of  whom  wore  overcoats  made  of 
blue  blankets,  and  all  had  the  appearance  of  what  we 
would  now  call  a  western  man.  The  meeting  that  they 
held  was  a  very  secret  one,,  and  before  we  left  there 
my  father  told  me  to  take  a  good  look  at  the  old  man, 
who  appeared  to  be  the  leader  of  the  white  men  and 
negroes  in  the  house.  He  explained  to  me  that  the  old 


man  was  John  Brown,  that  Brown  was  a  greater  man 
than  Napoleon  ever  dared  to  be,  and  as  great  a  man  as 
Washington.  This  remark  impressed  me  greatly,  and 
my  father  further  told  me  that  these  people  had  been 
driven  out  of  Kansas  by  a  number  of  ruffians,  and  were 
fleeing  to  a  place  of  safety  in  Canada,  and  that  he  had 
to  go  to  raise  some  money  for  them.  There  was  a  local 
republican  convention  in  session  at  the  time,  and  in 
those  days  republicanism  had  not  reached  the  stage 
which  it  reached  a  couple  of  years  later,  when  Lincoln 
became  the  candidate  for  president.  My  father  went  to 
the  convention  and  insisted  that  a  subscription  be 


The  Underground  Railroad.  305 

raised  for  the  purpose  of  getting  these  men  safely  out 
of  Chicago  and  into  Canada.  There  was  some  difficulty 
in  raising  the  money,  but  he  declared  that  unless  the 
money  was  paid  over  to  get  these  men  out  of  town 
he  would  march  the  whole  crowd  down  to  the  conven- 
tion hall  and  allow  the  United  States  marshal  to  take 
them  into  custody.  This  threat  had  its  effect,  and 
$300  or  $400  was  raised,  and  that  night  the  whole 
crowd,  headed  by  John  Brown,  was  sent  out  of  town 
en  route  to  Canada.  This  must  have  been,  I  think,  in 
1858  or  1859.  At  any  rate,  the  next  I  heard  of  Brown 
was  the  attack  that  he  made  on  Harper's  Ferry. 

The  picture  which  I  send  you  in  connection  with 
this  matter,  is  a  copy  of  a  picture  which  was  given  by 
John  Brown  to  my  father  shortly  after  his  (Brown's) 
arrival  in  Canada,  and  previous  to  the  attack  on  Har- 
per's Ferry. 

To  the  day  of  his  death  my  father  retained  his 
strong  abolitionist  principles;  and  during  the  time  he 
was  chief  of  the  secret  service  in  Washington  he  was 
enabled  to  be  of  great  benefit  to  numerous  refugees  or 
contrabands,  as  they  were  called,  who  were  fleeing 
from  servitude  in  the  south.  WM.  A.  PINKERTON. 


RUFUS  BLANCHARD: 

Dear  Sir. — As  you  requested  of  me,  I  give,  herein, 
some  of  my  early  recollections  of  anti-slavery  doings  in 
Chicago.  I  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  office 
of  Calvin  De  Wolf  at  71  Lake  street  in  the  summer  of 
1846.  Dr.  C.  V.  Dyer  occupied  the  same  suite  of  offices. 
Dr.  Dyer  was  at  that  time  recognized  as  the  leading 
spirit  among  the  anti-slavery  people  of  this  part  of  the 
state,  and  our  office  might  reasonably  have  been  desig- 
nated as  "The  Chicago  depot  of  the  underground  rail- 
road." James  H.  Collins,  who  stood  at  the  head  of  the 
Chicago  bar,  had  his  office  nearly  opposite,  and  next  to 
Dr.  Dyer  was  recognized  the  most  devoted  and  energetic 
friend  of  the  colored  man.  L.  C.  Paine  Freer,  S.  D. 


306  The  Underground  Railroad. 

Childs,  Daniel  Davidson  and  his  brother  Orlando  and 
Seth  Paine  were  leading  spirits. 

Zebina  Eastman  was  then  editing-  and  publishing 
the  Citizen,  an  abolition  paper.  Among  the  incidents 
of  these  times  which  I  have  bright  in  my  mind,  are  the 
following: 

One  night  a  number  of  runaway  slaves  were  brought 
in,  and  slept  on  the  floor  of  the  front  office.  I  occupied 
the  rear  room  of  the  suite  as  my  sleeping  room.  Quite 
early  in  the  morning  they  were  taken  to  another  place, 
and  their  butternut  clothes  were  exchanged  for  others, 
less  conspicuous  in  Chicago,  and  their  slave  names  were 
exchanged  for  new  ones.  It  was  quite  the  habit  to  give 
runaways,  thus  newly  born  into  liberty,  some  of  the 
most  distinguished  names  in  American  history.  Shortly 
after  they  had  left,  the  United  States  marshal  for  this 
district  came  to  the  office  and  demanded  admittance; 
said  there  were  some  runaway  slaves  in  our  office,  and 
he  had  a  warrant  for  their  arrest.  I  told  him  there  were 
no  slaves  there,  and  refused  to  let  him  in.  He  insisted 
that  he  knew  better,  and  said  if  I  did  not  open  the  door 
he  would  break  it  down.  After  delaying  him  as  long 
as  I  thought  it  safe  to  do  so,  considering  the  well  being 
of  the  door,  I  opened  the  door  and  allowed  him  to  sat- 
isfy himself  that  what  I  had  said  was  true — that  there 
were  no  runaway  slaves  there. 

The  marshal  seemed  to  think  we  would  endeavor 
to  send  the  runaways  to  Canada  by  a  steamer  that  was 
to  sail  that  morning.  The  steamer  was  lying  at  the 
foot  of  State  street,  behind  Peck's  warehouse,  and  so 
having  first  examined  the  steamer,  and  finding  there 
were  no  runaways  stowed  away,  stationed  a  number  of 
deputies  on  the  dock  to  prevent  their  being  taken 
aboard.  By  this  time  the  matter  had  got  noised  about 
the  city,  and  a  large  crowd  was  gathered  on  the  dock 
to  see  what  would  happen.  What  did  happen  was  that 
the  runaways  all  got  aboard  without  the  marshals  know- 
ing it,  and  this  is  the  way  it  was  done:  A  number  of 


The  Underground  Railroad.  307 

negroes,  employed  upon  the  boat,  were  put  in  a  line 
with  the  white  help,  and  set  to  wooding  the  boat  from 
a  pile  at  the  east  end  of  the  warehouse,  a  very  con- 
venient place  for  our  purpose.  The  runaways  were 
brought  down  one  by  one  and  slipped  into  the  line  of 
wooders  in  place  of  colored  men  who  were  slipped  out 
until  all  were  aboard  and  safely  stowed  away.  I  do  not 
remember  the  name  of  the  boat  or  of  the  captain,  but 
he  was  an  expert  in  that  line  of  business.  The  run- 
aways were  safely  landed  in  Canada  in  due  time. 

About  the  same  time  an  old  negro,  who  had  lived 
in  Chicago  for  a  number  of  years,  was  kidnapped  and 
carried  off  into  slavery.  He  was  taken  from  Chicago 
by  team  to  La  Salle  and  thence  by  steamer  to  St.  Louis. 
La  Salle  was  at  that  time  the  head  of  a  line  of  steam- 
boats running  regularly  between  that  place  and  St. 
Louis.  The  supposed  kidnappers  were  Chicago  men, 
and  were  arrested,  but  for  want  of  proof  they  were 
discharged. 

Mr.  MacDougall,  afterward  United  States  senator 
from  California,  defended  the  kidnappers. 

One  of  the  most  exciting  incidents  was  that  in  con- 
nection with  the  arrest  and  trial  of  a  negro  alleged  in 
the  warrant  to  be  a  "copper  colored  negro."  The 
trial  was  before  Geo.  W.  Meeker,  a  United  States  com- 
missioner, and  it  took  place  in  the  United  States  court 
room,  in  the  old  "Saloon"  building,  on  the  southeast 
corner  of  Clark  and  Lake  streets.  Mr.  Meeker  was  a 
whig,  and  not  very  much  in  sympathy  with  slave  catch- 
ing; withal  he  was  said  to  possess  considerable  policy 
and  shrewdness.  At  his  request  Henry  A.  Clark,  a 
strong  democratic  young  lawyer,  sat  on  one  side  of 
him  and  I  on  the  other,  as  he  said,  to  take  notes  of  the 
evidence.  I  do  not  remember  that  he  consulted  our 
notes,  and  I  suspected  at  the  time  that  he  did  not  care 
so  much  for  our  notes  of  the  evidence  as  he  did  to  learn, 
through  us,  what  might  be  taking  place  outside  of  the 
court  room.  I  cannot  say  what  he  learned  through 


308  The  Underground  Railroad. 

Mr.  Clark,  but  he  learned  through  me,  at  an  opportune 
time,  that  there  were  in  the  room  a  body  of  some  fifty 
men  well  armed  and  determined  that  if  he  ordered  the 
negro  to  be  taken  back  into  slavery,  he  would  be  taken 
out  of  that  room  by  force. 

I  do  not  remember  that  I  knew  any  of  these  men. 
Their  leader  was  Allan  Pinkerton,  who  at  that  time  was 
carrying  on  coopering  business  at  Dundee,  and  who 
afterward  became  the  noted  detective — the  head  of  the 
Pinkerton  detective  agency.  The  marshal  had  sus- 
pected that  there  might  be  violence,  and  had  a  dozen 
deputies  seated  immediately  behind  the  prisoner,  ready 
for  any  emergency.  The  controversy  in  the  trial  turned 
upon  the  identity  of  the  prisoner,  whether  he  answered 
the  description  of  ' '  copper  colored. ' '  The  commissioner 
finally  found  that  he  was  not  ''copper  colored,"  and 
ordered  his  discharge.  In  an  instant,  and  before  the 
claimant  or  marshal  fairly  knew  what  had  been  done, 
the  prisoner  was  seized  and  hustled  out  of  the  court 
room,  and  conveyed  to  a  place  of  safety,  while  the  way 
of  the  marshal  and  his  deputies  was  so  blocked  that 
they  could  not  even  get  out  of  the  room  until  all  traces 
of  the  negro  were  lost. 

Another  interesting  incident  took  place  before  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace  Kircheval.  His  office  was  in  the  two- 
story  wooden  building  on  the  east  side  of  Clark  street, 
just  north  of  Lake.  It  was  approached  only  by  a  stair- 
way leading  from  the  sidewalk  to  the  second  story. 
Kircheval  was  a  strong  pro-slavery  man,  knew  but  little 
law,  and  had  the  reputation  of  deciding  his  cases  accord- 
ing to  his  prejudices,  with  little  regard  to  law  or  justice 
if  a  fugitive  was  brought  before  him  under  the  fugitive 
slave  law.  The  room  was  crowded  with  spectators  ; 
even  the  stairway  was  filled,  and  the  sidewalk  in  front 
of  the  building.  After  the  case  had  proceeded  for  a 
while,  the  excitement  of  the  trial  and  the  bad  air  cre- 
ated by  the  crowd  very  naturally  suggested  to  the  jus- 
tice fresh  air  and  refreshments,  which  were  found  in  a 


The  Underground  Eailroad.  309 

neighboring"  saloon,  to  which  his  honor,  the  prosecuting 
lawyers  and  the  constables,  except  one  who  was  left  to 
guard  the  prisoner,  repaired.  The  trial  was  never  re- 
sumed, for  during  the  absence  of  the  court  the  prisoner 
was  seized,  passed  over  the  heads  of  the  crowd  and 
down  the  stairway  to  where  some  persons  in  waiting 
ran  him  down  Clark  street,  whence  he  disappeared,  and 
was  not  afterward  recaptured. 

There  were  a  number  of  trials  before  Judge  Drum- 
mond,  of  the  United  States  circuit  court,  for  inter- 
ferences with  the  slave  pursuers,  but  as  I  did  not  take 
any  personal  interest  in  these  trials  I  do  not  remember 
the  particulars  well  enough  to  give  any  account  of 
them. 

Immediately  following  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri 
compromise  act,  there  was  a  great  meeting  held  in  the 
State  street  market  hall.  It  was  at  this  meeting  that 
Edwin  C.  Larned  made  the  speech  which  gave  him  his 
reputation  as  a  great  popular  speaker,  and  it  was  at 
this  meeting  that  Isaac  Cook,  familiarly  called  Ike 
Cook,  rushing  onto  the  stand  at  the  close  of  Mr. 
Larned' s  speech,  greatly  excited,  commenced  his 
answer  with,  "  Truth  squashed  to  earth  will  rise  again, 
by  God,  you  cannot  stop  her."  The  laughter  and  ap- 
plause were  so  tumultuous,  Mr.  Cook  was  unable  to 
proceed,  and  after  a  while  concluded  to  leave  the  rest 
of  his  speech  unsaid. 

The  driving  out  of  the  ' '  free  state  settlers ' '  from 
Kansas  by  the  border  ruffians,  and  the  appearance  of  a 
large  number  of  refugees  in  Chicago  in  1856,  gave  rise 
to  a  great  public  meeting  here,  and  the  formation  of  the 
local  Kansas  committee.  I  am  unable  to  give  the 
names  of  the  members  of  the  committee,  except  Isaac 
N.  Arnold  and  Dr.  John  Evans.  I  was  added  to  the 
committee  after  it  was  organized.  This  committee  did 
something  in  the  way  of  sending  emigrants  (properly 
armed  to  protect  themselves)  into  Kansas.  The  border 
ruffians  having  practically  closed  the  Missouri  river  to 


310 


The  Underground  Railroad. 


free  state  emigrants,  they  had  to  be  sent  through  Iowa. 
I  went  to  Iowa  City  as  the  agent  for  this  committee, 
and  fitted  out  the  first  company  of  emigrants  that  went 
by  that  route.  As  there  was  then  no  railroad  beyond 
Iowa  City,  these  emigrants  had  to  be  conveyed  across 
the  state  of  Iowa  into  Nebraska,  and  thence  into  Kan- 
sas by  teams  purchased  for  that  purpose. 

It  was  at  the  suggestion  of  this  Chicago  committee 
that  a  convention  was  held  at  Buffalo,  which  organized 
a  national  Kansas  committee.  This  convention  was 


composed  of  probably  500  delegates,  and  was  one  of 
the  most  notable, -on  account  of  the  personnel  of  its  mem- 
bers, I  have  ever  known.  Governor  Reeder,  then  late 
governor  of  Kansas,  presided.  The  national  Kansas 
committee  was  composed  of  one  member  from  each 
state,  except  that  Illinois  had  several  members. 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  a  member  from  Illinois.  He  did 
not  act,  however,  but  designated  W.  F.  M.  Arny  to  act 
in  his  place.  Gen.  J.  D.  Webster,  of  Chicago,  was  vice- 
president  ;  Geo.  W.  Dole  was  treasurer,  and  I  was  sec- 


The  Underground  Railroad.  311 

retary  of  the  committee,  and  we  three  constituted  the 
executive  committee  and  carried  on  the  business  of  the 
committee  from  Chicago.  Our  office  was  in  the  Marine 
bank  building,  northeast  corner  of  Lake  and  La  Salle 
streets.  It  was  this  executive  committee  that  con- 
ducted the  Kansas  campaign  on  the  part  of  the  north 
from  the  time  of  its  appointment,  in  1856,  until  Kansas 
was  made  a  free  state,  and  it  was  this  committee  that 
threw  into  Kansas,  in  the  spring  of  1857,  the  large  body 
of  free  state  settlers  who  gave  to  their  cause  the  big 
majority  at  the  subsequent  elections. 

HARVEY  B.  KURD. 

When  anti-slavery  agitation  first  began,  its  advo- 
cates were  accused  of  wishing  to  array  the  north 
against  the  south  to  dissolve  the  Union.  They  were 
stigmatized  as  man  stealers,  freedom  shriekers,  lunatics, 
and  other  opprobrious  epithets  were  applied  to  them. 
Pending  this  transitory  stage  of  state  policy,  philo- 
sophical minds  penetrated  the  ultimatum  of  this  con- 
flict; and  with  prophetic  words  declared  that  it  would 
not  end  till  all  the  slaves  were  set  free.  The  political 
leaders  of  both  the  democratic  and  whig  parties  looked 
upon  it  as  a  transient  ebullition  of  sickly  sentiment- 
ality, soon  to  be  eliminated  from  the  body  politic ;  and 
when  Buchanan  ran  against  Fremont,  in  1856,  and  was 
elected  president,  on  a  slavery  issue,  the  slavery  party 
believed  that  the  whole  question  was  settled,  never 
again  to  be  resurrected.  It  is  not  strange  that  partisan 
politicians  might  arrive  at  such  a  conclusion,  for  they 
were  neither  statesmen  nor  philosophers.  But  this 
illusion  was  dispelled  by  the  enthusiasm  that  nomi- 
nated Abraham  Lincoln  at  Chicago  in  1860,  as  candidate 
for  president  of  the  United  States. 

The  slave  interest  was  now  at  bay.  Heroic  meas- 
ures were  necessary  to  circumvent  the  abolition  senti- 
ment -which  had  assumed  such  formidable  proportions, 
backed  by  solid  men  in  the  north.  To  do  this  they 
held  a  nominating  convention  at  Richmond,  Va.,  and 


312  The  Underground  Railroad. 

chose  John  C.  Breckenridge  on  a  defiant  slavery  issue 
as  candidate  for  president  of  the  United  States.  They 
themselves  now  became  the  advocates  of  dissolution  of 
the  Union,  as  they  despaired  of  protecting  slavery 
under  it.  Chicago  was  the  place  where  the  plan  for 
this  evolution  in  favor  of  freedom  was  improvised,  and 
here  the  machinery  was  set  in  motion  wherewith  to 
execute  these  plans.  Abraham  Lincoln  was  the  instru- 
ment on  whom  its  responsibilities  devolved.  His 
statesmanship,  though  terminating  in  a  tragic  death, 


ZEBINA  EASTMAN.* 

crowned  the  cause  of  freedom  with  a  halo  of  glory,  and 
the  American  nation  with  strength. 

*Hon.  Zebina  Eastman,  during  his  long-  and  eventful  career, 
made  up  a  scrap  book  containing  the  principal  incidents  of  the  great 
conflict  between  slavery  and  freedom.  This  scrap  book  is  now  in 
possession  of  his  son,  Sidney  C.  Eastman,  which  he  kindly  loaned  to 
the  writer  to  assist  him  in  making  up  the  foregoing  history. 


OLD  MACKINAW  IN  1818. 

TAKEN  FROM  THE  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  GURDON  S.  HUBBARD. 

On  this  island  lived  old  voyagers,  worn  out  with 
the  hard  service  incident  to  their  calling,  with  their 
families  of  half-breeds. 

A  few  only  of  the  inhabitants  engaged  in  trade. 
Mrs.  Mitchell,  an  energetic,  enterprising  woman,  the 
wife  of  Dr.  Mitchell,  a  surgeon  of  the  English  army, 
and  stationed  at  Drummond's  island,  had  a  store  and 
small  farm.  Michael  Dousman,  Edward  Biddle  and 
John  Drew  were  also  merchants,  all  depending  on  trad- 
ing with  the  Indians. 

These  merchants,  to  a  very  great  extent,  were 
under  the  influence  of  the  American  Fur  Co. ,  purchas- 
ing most  of  their  goods  from  them,  and  selling  to  them 
their  furs  and  peltries.  This  island  was  the  headquar- 
ters of  the  American  Fur  Co.,  and  here  I  first  learned 
something  of  the  working  and  discipline  of  that  mam- 
moth corporation,  and  took  my  first  lessons  in  the  life 
of  an  Indian  trader,  a  life  which  I  followed  exclusively 
for  ten  consecutive  years.  Here,  also,  was  located  Fort 
Mackinaw,  at  that  time  garrisoned  by  three  or 
four  companies  of  United  States  troops.  The  village 
had  a  population  of  about  500*  mostly  of  Canadian 
French  and  of  mixed  Indian  blood,  whose  chief  occu- 
pation was  fishing  in  summer  and  hunting  in  winter. 
There  were  not  more  than  twelve  white  women  on  the 
island,  the  residue  of  the  female  population  being  either 
all  or  part  Indian.  Here,  during  the  summer  months, 
congregated  the  traders  employed  by  the  fur  company, 

(313) 


314  Old  Mackinaiv  in  1818. 

bringing  their  collections  from  their  several  trading 
posts,  which  extended  from  the  British  dominions  on 
the  north  and  the  Missouri  river  in  the  west,  south  and 
east  to  the  white,  settlements,  in  fact  to  all  the  Indian 
hunting  grounds,  so  that  when  all  were  collected  they 
added  3,000  or  more  to  the  population. 

The  Indians  from  the  shores  of  the  upper  lakes, 
who  made  this  island  a  place  of  resort,  numbered 
from  2,000  to  3,000  more.  (Their  wigwams  lined  the 
entire  beach,  two  or  three  rows  deep,  and,  with  the 
tents  of  the  traders,  made  the  island  a  scene 
of  life  and  animation).  The  voyagenrs  were  fond  of  fun 
and  frolic,  and  the  Indians  indulged  in  their  love  of 
liquor,  and,  by  the  exhibition  of  their  war,  medicine 
and  other  dances  and  sports,  often  made  both  night  and 
day  hideous  with  their  yells.  These  voyageurs  were  all 
Canadian  French,  and  were  the  only  people  fitted  for 
the  life  they  were  compelled  to  endure,  their  cheerful 
temperament  and  happy  disposition  making  them  con- 
tented under  the  privations  and  hardships  incident  to 
their  calling. 

At  the  time  of  our  arrival  all  the  traders  from  the 
north  and  the  great  west  had  reached  the  island  with 
their  returns  of  furs  collected  from  the  Indians  during 
the  previous  winter,  which  were  being  counted  and  ap- 
praised, and  the  profit  or  loss  of  each  **  outfit"  ascer- 
tained. 

All  of  the  different  outfits  were  received  into  a  large 
warehouse,  where  they  were  assorted  into  various 
classes  or  grades,  carefully  counted,  packed  and  pressed 
for  shipment  to  New  York  to  John  Jacob  Astor,  the 
president  of  the  company. 

Mr.  Matthews  had  the  general  management  of  the 
fur  warehouse,  and  on  arrival  assumed  the  charge. 
After  a  few  days  I  was  ordered  to  report  to  him,  and 
then  commenced  my  first  instructions  in  the  fur  trade. 

It  was  my  business  to  make  a  second  count  in  or- 
der to  verify  the  first.  The  first  count  was  entered  on 


Old  Mackinaw  in  1818.  315 

a  book  not  seen  by  me,  and  if  mine  corresponded  with 
it,  the  furs  were  placed  in  a  frame,  pressed,  marked  and 
rolled  into  the  shipping  wareroom.  If,  however,  my 
count  did  not  agree  with  the  first,  I  was  required  to  make 
a  second  count;  and  if  there  was  still  a  discrepancy,  a 
third  person  was  called  upon  to  recount  them.  This 
work  took  about  two  months,  the  working  hours  being 
from  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  to  twelve  noon,  and 
from  one  to  seven  in  the  afternoon;  and,  as  I  was 
obliged  to  maintain  a  stooping  posture,  was  severely 
fatiguing. 

About  100  voyageurs  were  detailed  to  assist  in  this 
business,  and  were  kept  under  strict  discipline.  Most 
of  them  were  experienced,  and  were  generally  con- 
tented and  happy,  each  working  with  a  will,  knowing 
that  Mackinaw  fatigue  duty  came  but  once  in  four 
years,  and  that  if  they  lived  through  the  succeeding 
three  years,  their  time  at  headquarters  could  be  spent 
in  comparative  ease  and  comfort. 

A  party  was  also  organized  to  cut  wood  on  Bois 
Blanc,  and  bring  it  in  boats  to  the  island  for  the  use  of 
the  agents  and  employes  who  remained  there;  this 
party  consisted  of  about  twenty-five  picked  choppers, 
under  the  charge  of  one  of  the  clerks  detailed  for  that 
purpose.  Another  party  was  employed  in  lyeing  (hull- 
ing) corn,  and  drying  and  putting  up  for  the  use  of 
those  remaining  on  the  island,  and  for  supylying  the 
various  outfits  soon  to  leave  for  their  trading  posts. 

The  daily  ration  issued  by  the  commissary  to  a 
mess  of  from  six  to  ten  men  consisted  of  one  pint  of 
lyed  or  hulled  and  dried  corn,  with  from  two  to  four 
ounces  of  tallow,  to  each  man;  and  this  was  all  the  food 
they  received,  except  that  on  Saturday  flour  was  given 
them  for  Sunday  pancakes.  It  would  seem  that  this 
was  a  very  short  and  light  ration  for  healthy,  hard 
working  men,  but  it  was  quite  sufficient,  and  generally 
more  than  they  could  consume.  It  was  invariably 
liked  by  them,  and  it  was  found  that  they  could  endure 


316  Old  Mackinaw  in  1818. 

more  hardships  on  this  than  on  a  diet  of  bread  and 
meat. 

Those  who  came  from  Canada,  their  first  season, 
and  who  were  called  mange-du-lard,  or  ' '  pork-eaters, ' ' 
were  usually  much  dissatisfied  and  angered  with  this 
ration,  as  on  the  voyage  up  they  were  fed  on  pork, 
pease  and  hard  bread,  and  the  change  was  anything 
but  agreeable  to  them.  They  were,  however,  soon 
laughed  out  of  it  by  the  old  voyageurs,  who  told  them 
that  many  of  them  would  be  thankful  for  even  that  be- 
fore they  returned  from  their  winter  quarters. 

The  company  had  a  yard  in  which  were  made  and 
repaired  their  own  boats,  and  where  were  manufact- 
ured traps,  tomahawks  and  other  articles  from  iron. 
Other  parties  of  the  men  were  detailed  to  assist  the 
mechanics  in  this  work. 

Most  of  the  clerks  were  assigned  to  duty  either  in 
charge  of  the  different  gangs  of  men  or  in  the  wholesale 
and  retail  stores  and  offices.  Prom  these  duties  the 
heads  of  outfits  were  exempt. 

The  force  of  the  company,  when  all  were  assembled 
on  the  island,  comprised  about  400  clerks  and  traders, 
together  with  some  2,000  voyageurs.  About  500  of 
these  were  quartered  in  barracks,  100  lived  in  the 
agency  house,  and  the  others  were  camped  in  tents  and 
accommodated  in  rooms  of  the  islanders. 

Dances  and  parties  were  given  every  night  by  the 
residents  of  the  island  in  honor  of  the  traders,  and 
they,  in  their  turn,  reciprocated  with  balls  and  jollifica- 
tions, which,  though  not  as  elegant  and  costly  as  those 
of  the  present  day,  were  sufficiently  so  to  drain  from 
the  participants  all  the  hard  earnings  of  the  winter 
previous. 

In  each  "  brigade,"  or  outfit,  was  to  be  found  one 
who,  from  superior  strength  or  bravery,  was  looked 
upon  as  the  "bully"  of  that  crew  of  voyageurs,  and 
who,  as  a  distinguishing  mark,  wore  a  black  feather  in 
his  cap. 


Old  Mackinaw  in  1818.  317 

These  "bullies"  were  generally  good  fighters,  and 
were  always  governed  by  the  rules  of  fair  play.  It  was 
a  rule,  and  was  expected,  that  they  should  fight  each 
other;  hence  it  was  not  an  uncommon  thing  to  see  a 
fight.  The  vanquished  one  gave  up  his  black  feather 
to  the  conqueror,  or  shook  hands  with  him,  and  they 
both  joined  with  the  lookers  on  in  a  glass  of  beer  or 
whisky  as  good-naturedly  as  though  nothing  unpleasant 
had  occurred. 

The  majority  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  island  were 
of  mixed  blood — Canadian  and  Indian — and  those  who 
were  of  pure  blood,  and  were  heads  of  families,  had  In- 
dian wives.  Their  children,  though  uneducated,  were 
unusually  bright  and  intelligent,  and  fond  of  finery, 
dancing  and  other  amusements.  There  were  a  few  of 
the  half-breeds  who  had  received  a  common  education, 
either  in  English  or  French,  which  was  generally  of 
little  use  to  them,  as  they  were  mostly  too  lazy  or  too 
proud  to  earn  a  livelihood. 

Among  the  Indian  or  part  Indian  women  who  were 
or  had  been  married  to  white  husbands  were  found 
some  of  great  intellectual  capacity,  who  carried  on  an 
extensive  trade  with  the  Indians,  one  of  whom  was  the 
Mrs.  Mitchell  before  referred  to;  she  had  a  store  and  a 
farm,  both  under  excellent  management,  and  her  chil- 
dren had  been  well  educated  in  Canada.  This  woman's 
husband  was  a  Scotchman  and  a  surgeon  in  the  English 
army,  and  while  the  island  of  Mackinaw  was  in  posses- 
sion of  England  he  was  stationed  there  ;*  removing  after- 
ward to  Drummond's  island,  he  rarely  visited  his  fam- 
ily, though  only  fifty  miles  distant.  He  was  a  man  of 
strong  prejudices,  hated  the  "Yankees,"  and  would 
hold  no  social  intercourse  with  them. 

Mrs.  Mitchell  was  quite  the  reverse,  and  being 
rather  partial  to  the  "Yankees,"  treated  them  with 
great  consideration;  she  was  a  fine  housekeeper,  and 

*After  the  treaty  of  Paris  of  1783  which  closed  the  war  of  the 
American  Revolution',  the  British  kept  possession  of  Mackinaw  Island 
till  1796,  at  which  time  they  evacuated  the  island. 


318  Old  Mackinaw  in  1818. 

owned  one  of  the  best  houses  on  the  island;  she  was 
fond  of  good  society,  very  hospitable,  and  entertained 
handsomely,  conversing  in  French  and  English,  both  of 
which  she  spoke  fluently. 

.  Another  of  these  women  was  Mrs.  Lafromboise, 
who  also  traded  with  the  Indians  in  the  interior,  usually 
up  the  Grand  river  of  Michigan;  her  daughter  was 
highly  educated,  and  married  the  commanding  officer 
at  Fort  Mackinaw. 

Mrs.  Lafromboise  could  read  and  write,  and  was  a 
perfect  lady  in  her  manners  and  conversation;  she  was 
a  widow,  her  husband,  who  was  a  trader,  having  been 
shot  and  killed  by  an  Indian  on  the  Mississippi  river; 
she  took  his  place  and  business  and  accumulated  con- 
siderable money.  She  was  afterward  employed  on  a 
salary  by  the  American  Fur  Co. 

Mrs.  Chandler,  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Lafromboise,  was 
also  noted  for  her  ladylike  manners  and  many  Christian 
virtues.  Her  husband  was  an  invalid  and  her  daughter 
a  widow.  This  daughter  was  also  highly  educated  and 
was  considered  the  belle  of  Mackinaw;  she  afterward 
married  Mr.  Beard,  a  lawyer  of  Green  Bay,  Wis. 

It  was  my  good  fortune  to  be  received  into  these 
excellent  families  as  a  welcome  visitor,  and  they  all 
took  an  interest  in  me  and  my  welfare,  calling  me 
their  "  boy  clerk. "  My  leisure  evenings  were  passed 
with  them,  much  to  my  pleasure  and  advantage.  From 
them  I  received  much  good  advice,  as  well  as  instruc- 
tion in  the  method  of  conducting  trade  with  the  In- 
dians, which  was  of  much  benefit  to  me  in  my  after  life 
as  a  trader. 

It  was  also  my  good  fortune  to  form  the  acquaint- 
ance of  Mr.  Deschamps,  who  was  an  old  man  and  the 
head  of  the  "Illinois  outfit." 

Mr.  Deschamps  had  been  educated  at  Quebec  for  a 
Roman  Catholic  priest,  but,  refusing  to  be  ordained, 
he,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  engaged  himself  to  Mr. 
Sara,  a  fur  trader  at  St.  Louis,  and  had  devoted  many 


Old  Mackinaw  in  1818.  319 

years  of  his  life  to  the  Indian  trade  on  the  Ohio  and 
Illinois  rivers.  When  the  American  Fur  Co.  was  organ- 
ized he  was  engaged  by  them  and  placed  in  charge  of 
the  "Illinois  brigade,"  or  outfit. 

It  was  the  policy  of  the  American  Fur  Co.  to  mo- 
nopolize the  entire  fur  trade  of  the  northwest;  and  to 
this  end  they  engaged  fully  nineteen- twentieths  of  all 
the  traders  of  that  territory,  and  with  their  immense 
capital  and  influence  succeeded  in  breaking  up  the  bus- 
iness of  any  trader  who  refused  to  enter  their  service. 

Very  soon  after  reaching  Mackinaw  and  making 
returns,  the  traders  commenced  organizing  their  crews 
and  preparing  their  outfits  for  their  return  to  winter 
quarters  at  their  various  trading  posts,  those  destined 
for  the  extreme  north  being  the  first  to  receive  atten- 
tion. These  outfits  were  called  "  brigades." 

The  "brigade"  destined  for  the  Lake  of  the  Woods, 
having  the  longest  journey  to  make,  was  the  first  to  de- 
part. They  were  transported  in  boats  called  "ba- 
teaux, ' '  which  very  much  resembled  the  boats  now  used 
by  fishermen  on  the  great  lakes,  except  that  they  were 
larger,  and  were  each  manned  by  a  crew  of  five  men 
besides  a  clerk.  Four  of  the  men  rowed  while  the  fifth 
steered.  Each  boat  carried  about  three  tons  of  mer- 
chandise, together  with  the  clothing  of  the  men  and 
rations  of  corn  and  tallow.  No  shelter  was  provided 
for  the  voyageurs,  and  their  luggage  was  confined  to 
twenty  pounds  in  weight,  carried  in  a  bag  provided  for 
that  purpose. 

The  commander  of  the  "brigade"  took  for  his  own 
use  the  best  boat,  and  with  him  an  extra  man,  who 
acted  in  the  capacity  of  "  orderly"  to  the  expedition, 
and  the  will  of  the  commander  was  the  only  law  known. 

The  clerks  were  furnished  with  salt  pork,  a  bag  of 
flour,  tea  and  coffee,  and  a  tent  for  shelter,  and  messed 
with  the  commander  and  orderly. 

A  vast  multitude  assembled  at  the  harbor  to  wit- 
ness their  departure,  and  when  all  was  ready  the  boats 


320  Old  Mackinaw  in  1818. 

glided  from  the  shore,  the  crews  singing  some  favorite 
boat  song,  while  the  multitude  shouted  their  farewells 
and  wishes  for  a  successful  trip  and  a  safe  return;  and 
thus  outfit  after  outfit  started  on  its  way  for  Lake  Su- 
perior, upper  and  lower  Mississippi,  and  numerous  other 
posts. 

The  "Wabash  and  Illinois  river  outfits"  were  al- 
most the  last,  and  were  speedily  folio  wed  by  the  smaller1 
ones  for  the  shores  of  Lakes  Huron  and  Michigan,  and 
which  consisted  of  but  from  one  to  three  boats. 

I  was  detailed  to  the  Fond-du-Lac  (Lake  Superior) 
"  brigade,"  and  a  week  or  so  before  its  departure  was 
relieved  from  duty  at  the  fur  warehouse. 

About  this  time  I  received  a  letter  from  my  father, 
written  at  Erie,  Pa. ,  in  which  he  informed  me  that  he 
and  my  brother  were  there  on  their  way  to  St.  Louis, 
and  that  they  had  waited  there  a  week  looking  for  the 
fur  company's  vessel,  which  it  was  expected  would 
touch  there  on  her  way  from  Buffalo  to  Mackinaw, 
upon  which  they  hoped  to  obtain  passage,  and  thus 
visit  me,  and  if  they  found.no  way  of  proceeding  to  St. 
Louis  from  there,  they  would  return  on  the  vessel  to 
Erie;  but  fearing  she  had  passed,  and  being  uncertain 
whether  they  should  find  me  on  the  island,  they  had 
reluctantly  concluded  to  continue  their  journey  by 
way  of  Cincinnati. 

I  had  before  this  been  told  by  Mr.  Deschamps  that 
he  made  a  trip  every  fall  to  St.  Louis,  with  one 
boat,  to  purchase  supplies  of  tobacco  and  other  neces- 
saries for  distribution  among  the  various  traders  on  the 
Illinois  river;  and  as  he  had  seemed  fond  of  Hie,  and 
possessed  my  confidence,  I  went  immediately  to  him 
with  my  letter,  thinking  to  advise  with  him,  and,  per- 
haps, to  send  by  him  an  answer  to  my  father.  After 
hearing  my  story,  he  delighted  me  by  saying:  "Would 
you  like  to  go  with  me,  if  it  can  be  so  arranged?"  to 
which  I  answered  affirmatively,  and  begged  for  his  in- 
fluence and  efforts  to  that  end. 


Old  Mackinaw  in  1818.  321 

A  Mr.  Warner,  a  fellow-clerk  from  Montreal,  had 
already  been  detailed  to  accompany  Mr.  Deschamps' 
"  brigade." 

"  Now, "  said  Mr.  Deschamps,  "  if  you  can  get  Mr. 
Warner  to  consent  to  an  exchange,  I  think  I  can  get 
Mr.  Crooks'  permission;  I  can  see  no  objection  to  it, 
and  as  I  am  the  party  mostly  interested,  I  think  it  can 
be  arranged  with  him ;  you  must  first,  however,  obtain 
Mr.  Warner's  consent,  and  then  I  will  see  what  I 
can  do." 

So  off  I  started,  letter  in  hand,  to  see  Warner,  not 
daring  to  hope  for  success ;  but  to  my  surprise  I  found 
he  preferred  going  north  to  south,  and  would  gladly 
make  the  change.  I  reported  to  Mr.  Deschamps,  and 
he,  seeing  my  anxiety,  took  my  letter  .and  went  im- 
mediately to  Mr.  Crooks,  who  gave  his  consent,  and 
with  it  an  order  to  the  bookkeeper  to  change  the  names 
in  the  details;  you  may  feel  certain  that  I  felt  much  re- 
joiced at  my  good  fortune.  Thus  my  desire  of  finding 
my  father  in  St.  Louis  was  the  probable  cause  of  an  en- 
tire change  in  my  destiny,  for,  instead  of  being  located 
in  the  cold  regions  of  the  north,  where  my  friend  War- 
ner froze  to  death  that  winter,  my  lot  was  cast  in  this 
beautiful  state. 

During  my  stay  at  Mackinaw  I  had  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  John  H.  Kinzie,  a  clerk  of  about  my  own 
age,  and  our  acquaintance  had  ripened  into  an  inti- 
macy. He  had  entered  the  service  of  the  company  that 
spring,  and  was  stationed  permanently  at  Mackinaw, 
and  was  not  to  be  sent  into  the  Indian  country.  His 
father  then  resided  at  Chicago,  and  I  had  learned  of 
the  great  hospitality  of  the  family,  and  of  the  high  es- 
teem felt  for  them  by  all  who  knew  them;  and  as  I  had 
also  been  told  that  we  should  make  a  stop  of  a  week  or 
more  at  Chicago,  there  to  make  our  arrangements  for 
crossing  our  boats  and  goods  to  the  Desplaines  river,  I 
gladly  accepted  letters  of  introduction  which  he  kindly 
proffered  me,  to  his  father  and  family. 


322  Old  Mackinaw  in  1818. 

Through  my  intimacy  with  John,  I  had  become 
quite  familiar  with  the  appearance  of  the  Kinzie  family 
and  their  surroundings.  J  knew  that  Fort  Dearborn 
was  located  at  Chicago,  then  a  frontier  post;  that  it 
was  garrisoned  by  two  companies  of  soldiers,  and  that 
on  my  arrival  there  I  should  for  the  first  time  in  my 
life  see  prairie;  and  I  felt  that  my  new  detail  was  to  take 
me  among  those  who  would  be  my  friends,  and  was 
happy  in  the  thought.  ______ 

FIRST    YEAR    IN    THE    INDIAN    COUNTRY  —  MARQUETTE 
CROSS — CHICAGO — FORT   DEARBORN. 

The  time  of  our  departure  soon  arrived,  and  about' 
noon  on  the  10th  of  September,  1818,  our  "brigade" 
left  the  harbor  in  twelve  boats. 

Mr.  Deschamps  took  me^  in  his  boat,  and  led  the 
way,  with  his  fine,  strong  voice  starting  the  boat  song, 
in  which  all  the  crews  heartily  joined. 

The  people  on  the  shore  bid  us  a  "God  speed"  and 
joined  with  us  in  the  hope  for  our  safe  return  the  next 
season. 

The  islanders,  more  than  any  one  else,  regretted 
our  departure,  as  what  few  of  the  traders  remained 
would  go  in  a  few  days  and  leave  them  to  the  monot- 
ony of  their  own  sorroun  dings,  even  the  Indians  hav- 
ing mostly  departed  for  their  hunting  grounds. 

Some  of  our  boats  were  crowded  with  the  families 
of  the  traders,  the  oldest  of  whom  was  Mr.  Bieson,  a 
large,  portly,  gray-headed  man,  who  was  then  about 
sixty  years  of  age,  and  for  more  than  forty  years  had 
been  an  Indian  trader  on  the  Ohio,  Mississippi  and 
Illinois  rivers.  His  wife  was  a  pure-blooded  Potta- 
wattomie  Indian,  enormous  in  size — so  fleshy  she  could 
scarcely  walk.  Their  two  daughters  were  married  and 
lived  at  Cahokie,  a  small  French  town  opposite  St. 
Louis.  Mr.  Bieson  had  a  house  and  some  property  at 
Opa  (now  Peoria),  but  had  been,  with  all  the  inhab- 
itants  of  that  place,  driven  off*  by  the  United  States 

*For  account  of  this  attack,  see  Volume  I  of  this  work,  page  423. 


Old  Mackinaw  in  1818.  323 

troops,  under  command  of  General  Howard,  in  the  year 
1813,  and  a  fort  was  there  erected,  which  was  called 
Fort  Clark.  The  town  of  Opa  and  Fort  Clark  were 
situated  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Peoria,  on  the  Illinois 
river,  where  now  stands  the  flourishing  city  of  Peoria. 
The  inhabitants  of  Opa  were  suspected  (wrongly,  I 
think)  by  our  government  of  being  enemies,  and  of  aid- 
ing and  counseling  the  Indians  in  giving  assistance  to 
Great  Britain,  and  this  was  the  cause  of  General  How- 
ard's action  in  compelling  them  to  vacate.  Un- 
doubtedly some  of  them  favored  the  British,  and  were 
paid  spies,  but  a  large  majority  opposed  the  Indians  in 
siding  -with  the  British,  and  counseled  them  to  act 
neutrally  and  attend  to  their  hunting. 

Among  the  others  who  had  with  them  their  fam- 
ilies were  Messrs.  Bebeau,  of  Opa,  and  Lefrombois, 
Bleau  and  La  Clare,  all  of  whom  had  Indian  wives; 
and,  in  fact,  there  were  but  three  or  four  single  men  in 
the  party.  Those  having  families  messed  by  them- 
selves, while  the  single  men  clubbed  together.  Mr. 
Deschamps  was  fond  of  good  living,  and  our  mess  of 
five  was  well  provided  for,  having  such  meats,  fish  and 
wild  fruits  as  were  presented  to  us  by  the  Indians  when 
we  met  them  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan. 

It  was  the  custom  of  the  Indians  to  present  the 
head  man  of  an  expedition  with  the  best  they  had,  ex- 
pecting to  receive  in  return  salt,  powder  or  something 
else  of  value  to  them.  The  choice  parts  were  retained 
by  Mr.  Deschamps  for  his  own  table,  and  the  balance 
distributed  among  the  traders. 

The  traders  were  all  provided  with  small  tents,  but 
the  only  shelter  given  to  the  men  was  what  was  af- 
forded by  the  boat  tarpaulins,  and,  -indeed,  no  other 
was  needed,  the  camp  fires  being  sufficient  for  warmth 
during  the  night.  No  covering  but  their  single  blan- 
ket was  required,  unless  the  weather  was  stormy. 

The  boats  progressed  at  the  rate  of  about  forty 
miles  per  day  under  oars,  and  when  the  wind  was  fair 


324  Old  Mackinaw  in  1818. 

we  hoisted  our  square  sails,  by  the  aid  of  which  we 
were  enabled  to  make  seventy  or  seventy-five  miles  per 
day.     If  the  wind   proved  too  heavy,  or  blew  strong- 
ahead,  we  sought  an  entrance  into  the  first  creek  or 
river  we  came  to,  and  there  awaited  a  favorable  time 
to  proceed.     If  caught  by  a  storm  on  the  coast,  when  a 
shelter  could  not  be  reached,   we  sought  the   shore, 
where  our  boats  were  unloaded  and  hauled  up  on  to  the 
beach  out  of  reach  of    the  surf.       This  was  a  hard 
and  fatiguing  labor,  and  was  accomplished  by  laying 
down  poles  on  the  sand  from   the  edge   of  the  water. 
The  men  then  waded  into  the  water  on  each  side  of  the 
boat,  and  by  lifting  and  pushing  as  each  large  wave 
rolled  against  it,  finally  succeeded  in  landing  it  high 
and  dry  on  the  shore.     The  goods  were  then  piled  up, 
resting  on  poles,  and  covered  over  with  the  tarpaulins, 
which  were  raised  to  the  leeward  by  poles,  so  as  to  form 
a  good  shelter  for  the  men  and  protect  them  from  wind 
and  rain.    Sometimes  we  were  compelled  to  remain  thus 
in  camp  for  four  or  five  days  at  a  time,  waiting  for  the 
storm  to  subside,  and  during  this   time   many  games 
were  indulged  in,  such  as  racing,  wrestling  and  card 
playing,  and  all  were  jolly  and  contented;  sometimes 
varying  the  monotony  by  hunting  or  fishing. 

Our  journey  around  Lake  Michigan  was  rather  a 
long  one,  having  occupied  about  twenty  days.  Nothing 
of  interest  transpired  until  we  reached  Marquette  river, 
about  where  the  town  of  Ludington  now  stands.  This 
was  the  spot  where  Father  Marquette  died,  about  140 
years  before,  and  we  saw  the  remains  of  a  red  cedar 
cross,  erected  by  his  men  at  the  time  of  his  death  to 
mark  his  grave;  and  though  his  remains  had  been  re- 
moved to  the  mission  at  Point  St.  Ignace,  the  cross  was 
held  sacred  by  the  voyageurs,  who,  in  passing,  paid  rev- 
erence to  it  by  kneeling  and  making  the  sign  of  the 
cross.  It  was  about  three  feet  above  the  ground,  and 
in  a  falling  condition.  We  re-set  it,  leaving  it  out  of 
the  ground  about  two  feet,  and  as  I  never  saw  it  after, 


Old  Mackinaw  in  1818.  325 

I  doubt  not  that  it  was  covered  by  the  drifting-  sands  of 
the  following  winter,  and  that  no  white  man  ever  saw  it 
afterward. 

We  proceeded  on  our  voyage,  and  on  the  evening  of 
September  30,  1818,  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Calumet 
river,  then  known  as  the  "  Little  Calumet,"  where  we 
met  a  party  of  Indians  returning  to  their  villages  from 
a  visit  to  Chicago.  They  were  very  drunk,  and  before 
midnight  commenced  a  fight  in  which  several  of  their 
number  were  killed.  Owing  to  this  disturbance  we  re- 
moved our  camp  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  and 
spent  the  remainder  of  the  night  in  dressing  ourselves 
and  preparing  for  our  advent  into  Chicago. 

We  started  at  dawn.  The  morning  was  calm  and 
bright,  and  we,  in  bur  holiday  attire,  with  flags  flying, 
completed  the  last  twelve  miles  of  our  lake  voyage.  Ar- 
riving at  Douglas  grove,  where  the  prairie  could  be  seen 
through  the  oak  woods,  I  landed,  and,  climbing  a  tree, 
gazed  in  admiration  on  the  first  prairie  I  had  ever 
seen.  The  waving  grass,  intermingling  with  a  rich  profu- 
sion of  wild  flowers,  was  the  most  beautiful  sight  I  had 
ever  gazed  upon.  In  the  distance  the  grove  of  Blue 
island  loomed  up,  beyond  it  the  timber  on  the  Desplaines 
river,  while  to  give  animation  to  the  scene,  a  herd  of 
wild  deer  appeared,  and  a  pair  of  red  foxes  emerged  from 
the  grass  within  gunshot  of  me. 

Looking  north,  I  saw  the  whitewashed  buildings  of 
Fort  Dearborn  sparkling  in  the  sunshine,  our  boats  with 
flags  flying,  and  oars  keeping  time  to  the  cheering  boat 
song.  I  was  spellbound  and  amazed  at  the  beautiful 
scene  before  me.  I  took  the  trail  leading  to  the  fort, 
and,  on  my  arrival,  found  our  party  camped  on  the  north 
side  of  the  river,  near  what  is  now  State  street.  A  sol- 
dier ferried  me  across  the  river  in  a  canoe,  and  thus  I 
made  my  first  entry  into  Chicago,  October  1,  1818. 

We  were  met  upon  landing  by  Mr.  Kinzie,  and  as 
soon  as  our  tents  were  pitched,  were  called  upon  by  the 
officers  of  the  fort,  to  all  of  whom  I  was  introduced  by 


326  Old  Mackinaw  in  1818. 

Mr.  Deschamps  as  his  boy.  I  presented  my  letter  of 
introduction  to  Mr.  Kinzie,  and  with  it  a  package  sent 
by  his  son.  In  the  afternoon  I  called  at  Mr.  Kinzie 's 
house,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting1  his  family- 
consisting1  of  Mrs.  Kinzie;  their  eldest  daughter,  Mrs. 
Helm;  their  youngest  daughter,  Maria,  now  the  wife  of 
Major-General  David  Hunter,  of  the  United  States 
army,  and  their  youngest  son,  Robert,  late  paymaster  of 
the  United  States  army,  all  of  whom  extended  to  me  a 
cordial  welcome.  As  I  had  so  recently  seen  John,  and 
had  been  so  intimate  with  him,  I  had  much  of  interest  to 
tell  them. 

I  was  invited  to  breakfast  with  them  the  next  morn- 
ing, and  gladly  accepted.  As  I  sat  down  to  the  neat  and 
well  ordered  table  for  the  first  time  since  I  left  my 
father's  house,  memories  of  home  and  those  dear  to  me 
forced  themselves  upon  me,  and  I  could  not  suppress  my 
tears.  But  for  the  kindness  of  Mrs.  Kinzie  I  should  have 
beaten  a  hasty  retreat.  She  saw  my  predicament,  and 
said:  ' '  I  know  just  how  you  feel,  and  know  more  about 
you  than  you  think ;  I  am  going  to  be  a  mother  to  you  if 
you  will  let  me.  Just  come  with  me  a  moment."  She 
led  me  into  an  adjoining  room  and  left  me  to  bathe 
my  eyes  in  cold  water.  When  I  came  to  the  table  I 
noticed  that  they  had  suspended  eating,  awaiting  my  re- 
turn. I  said  to  Mrs.  Kinzie  :  u  You  reminded  me  so 
much  of  my  mother  I  could  not  help  crying ;  my  last  meal 
with  her  was  when  T  left  Montreal,  and  since  then  I  have 
never  sat  at  a  table  with  ladies,  and  this  seems  like  home 
to  me."  Mr.  Kinzie's  house  was  a  long  log  cabin,  with 
a  rude  piazza,  and  fronted  the  river  directly  opposite 
Fort  Dearborn. 

FORT   DEARBORN. 

Fort  Dearborn  was  first  established  in  1804,  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  Chicago  river ,  near  where  it  then  dis- 
charged into  Lake  Michigan. 

It  was  evacuated  August  15,  1812,  by  Capt.  N. 
Heald,  First  United  States  infantry,  who  was  then  in 


Old  Mackinaw  in  1818.  327 

command,  and   it  was  on  the  same  day  destroyed  by 
the  Indians. 

It  was  rebuilt  on  the  old  site  in  June,  1816,  by 
Capt.  Hezekiah  Bradley,  Third  United  States  infantry, 
and  occupied  by  troops  until  October,  1823,  when  it  was 
again  vacated  and  left  in  charge  of  Alexander  Wolcott, 
Indian  agent. 

Reoccupied,  October  3,  1828. 

Troops  again  withdrawn,  May  20,  1831. 

Reoccupied,  June  17,  1832. 

Again  vacated,  July  11,  1832.     „ 

Reoccupied,  October  1,  1832. 

And  finally  abandoned,  December  29,  1836. 

I  have  been  unable  to  find  from  the  records  of  the 
war  department  by  whom  this  post  was  originally  es- 
tablished, but  find  it  to  have  been  commanded,  after  its. 
re-establishment,  by  officers  as  follows: 

Capt.  Hezekiah  Bradley,  Third  United  States  in- 
fantry, from  June,  1816,  to  May,  1817. 

Brev.  Maj.  D.  Baker,  Third  United  States  infantry, 
to  June,  1820. 

Capt.  H.  Bradley,  Third  United  States  infantry,  to 
January,  1821. 

Maj.  Alexander  Cummings,  Third  United  States  in- 
fantry, to  October,  1822. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  McNeil,  Third  United  States  in- 
fantry, to  October,  1823. 

Fort  not  garrisoned  from  Oct.,  1823,  to  Oct.  3,  1828. 

Capt.  John  Fowle,  Fifth  United  States  infantry, 
from  October  3,  1828,  to  December  21,  1830. 

Lieut.  David  Hunter,  Fifth  United  States  infantry, 
to  May  20,  1831,  when  the  troops  were  withdrawn. 

Maj.  William  Whistler,  Second  United  States  in- 
fantry, from  June  17,  1832,  to  July  11,  1832,  and  from 
October  1,  1832,  to  June  19,  1833. 

When  I  first  saw  Fort  Dearborn  it  was  a  stockade 
of  oak  pickets  fourteen  feet  long,  inclosing  a  square  of 
about  600  feet. 


328  Old  Mackinaw  in  1818. 

A  block  house  stood  at  the  southwest  corner,  and  a 
bastion  in  the  northwest  corner  about  100  feet  from 
which  was  the  river. 

In  the  first  fort  an  underground  passage  was  con- 
structed from  the  bastion  to  the  river's  edge,  but  this 
was  not  kept  open  during  the  occupancy  of  the  second, 
but  was  kept  in  condition  to  be  speedily  reopened 
should  occasion  ever  require  it. 

The  officers'  quarters  were  outside  of  the  pickets, 
fronting  east  on  the  parade,  and  was  a  two-story  build- 
ing of  hewn  logs.  ,  A  piazza  extended  along  the  entire 
front  on  a  line  with  the  floor  of  the  second  story,  and 
was  reached  by  stairs  on  the  outside. 

The  first  story  was  divided  into  kitchen,  dining  and 
store  rooms,  while  the  second  story  was  in  one  large 
room.  The  roof  was  covered  with  split  clapboards  about 
four  feet  long. 

The  soldiers'  quarters  were  also  of  logs,  and  similar 
to  the  officers',  except  that  both  stories  were  finished 
off  and  divided  into  rooms. 

In  the  northeast  corner  was  the  sutler's  store,  also 
built  of  logs,  while  at  the  north  and  south  sides  were 
gates  opening  to  the  parade  ground. 

On  each  side  of  the  south  gate  were  guardhouses, 
about  ten  feet  square. 

The  commissary  storehouse  was  two  stories  in 
height,  and  stood  east  of  the  guardhouse  and  south  of 
the  soldiers'  quarters. 

The  magazine  was  constructed  of  brick  and  was 
situated  west  of  the  guardhouse,  and  near  the  block 
house.  The  stockade  and  all  the  buildings  were  neatly 
whitewashed  and  presented  a  pleasing  appearance. 

West  and  a  little  south  of  the  fort  was  the  military 
barn,  adjoining  which,  on  the  east,  was  the  fort  garden, 
of  about  four  acres,  which  extended  so  as  to  front  the 
fort  on  the  south,  its  eastern  line  of  fence  connecting 
with  and  forming  a  part  of  the  fidd  extending  south 
about  half  a  mile. 


Old  Mackinaw  in  1818.  329 

Adjoining  this  fence  on  the  east  was  the  only  road 
leading  from  the  fort  in  either  direction.  The  south 
line  of  the  garden  fence  extended  to  the  edge  of  the 
river,  and  a  fence  from  the  west  end  of  the  barn  ex- 
tended north  to  the  river,  so  that  the  fort  was  wholly 
inclosed  by  fence  from  river  to  river.  The  inclosure 
between  the  stockade  and  the  outer  fences  was  covered 
with  grass  and  adorned  with  trees  and  shrubbery. 

The  well  was  in  the  outer  inclosure  and  near  the 
south  gate,  while  about  200  feet  from  the  north  gate 
was  the  river,  a  stream  of  clear,  pure  water,  fed  from 
the  lake. 

On  the  east  side  of  the  fort  the  river  was  from  400 
to  500  feet  from  the  pickets,  and  a  part  of  this  distance 
was  a  low,  sandy  beach,  where  rude  wash  houses  had 
been  constructed,  in  which  the  men  and  women  of  the 
garrison  conducted  their  laundry  operations. 

Just  east  of  the  road,  and  adjoining  the  fence  run- 
ning east  to  the  river,  was  the  '  'Factor  House, ' '  a  two- 
story,  squared- log  structure,  inclosed  by  a  neat  split 
picket  fence.  This  building  was  occupied  from  1804 
to  about  the  year  1810  by  a  Mr.  Jonett,  United  States 
factor,  and  by  the  west  side  of  the  road,  adjoining  the 
government  garden,  in  a  picket  fence  inclosure,  was  the 
grave  of  his  wife.  At  the  second  construction  of  the 
fort  he  was  succeeded  by  John  Dean. 

For  a  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  "Fac- 
tor House"  there  was  no  fence,  building  or  other  ob- 
struction between  the  government  field  fence  and  the 
river  or  lake.  Another  house  of  hewn  logs  stood  1,200 
or  more  feet  from  the  road,  and  back  of  it  flowed  the 
Chicago  river,  which,  as  late  as  1827,  emptied  into  Lake 
Michigan  at  a  point  known  as  "The  Pines,"  a  clump 
of  100  or  more  stunted  pine  trees  on  the  sand  hills 
about  a  mile  from  the  fort.  On  the  edge  of  the  river, 
directly  east  of  this  house,  and  distant  about  400  feet, 
stood  a  storehouse  of  round  logs,  owned  by  the  Ameri- 
can Fur  Co.  and  occupied  by  its  agent,  Mr.  John  Craft, 


330  Old  Mackinaw  in  1818. 

who  erected  it.  This  house  was  surrounded  by  a  rail 
fence,  and  after  the  death  of  Mr. -Craft  was  occupied  by 
Jean  Baptiste  Beaubien. 

Adjoining  this  storehouse  on  the  south  was  the  fort 
burying  ground.  The  east  line  of  the  government  field 
extended  to  about  this  point,  and  thence  west  to  the 
south  branch  of  the  river.  These,  with  the  addition 
of  a  log  cabin  near  the  present  Bridgeport,  called 
' '  Hardscrabble, ' '  a  cabin  on  the  north  side  occupied  by 
Antoine  Ouilmette  and  the  house  of  Mr.  Kinzie,  com- 
prised all  the  buildings  within  the  present  limits  of 
Cook  county. 

Between  the  river  and  the  lake,  and  extending  south 
to  ' '  The  Pines, ' '  was  a  narrow  strip  of  sand  formed  by 
the  northeast  winds  gradually  forcing  the  mouth  of  the 
river  south  of  its  natural  and  original  outlet  at  Fort 
Dearborn. 

In  the  spring  of  1828  the  Chicago  river  had  a  strong 
current  caused  by  flood;  and,  taking  advantage  of  this, 
the  officer  commanding  at  the  fort  ordered  some  of  his 
men  to  cut  a  passage  through  the  spit  of  land  at  the 
commencement  of  the  bend  and  parallel  with  the  north 
side  of  the  fort.  It  was  the  work  of  but  an  hour  or  two 
to  dig  a  ditch  down  to  the  level  of  the  river,  and  the 
water  being  let  in,  the  force  of  the  current  soon  washed 
a  straight  channel  through  to  the  lake  fifteen  or  more 
feet  deep;  bu,t  the  ever-shifting  sand  soon  again  filled 
this  channel,  and  the  mouth  of  the  river  worked  south  to 
about  where  Madison  street  now  is. 

To  Captain  Fowle,  however,  are  we  indebted  for  the 
first  attempt  to  make  a  harbor  of  the  Chicago  river. 

The  officers  amused  themselves  with  fishing  and 
hunting;  deer,  red  fox  and  wild  fowl  were  abundant. 
Foxes  burrowed  in  the  sand  hills  and  were  often  dug 
out,  brought  to  the  fort  and  let  loose  upon  the  sand  bar 
formed  by  the  outlet  of  the  river.  They  were  then 
chased  by  hounds,  men  being  stationed  so  as  to  prevent 
their  escape  from  the  bar.  These  fox  hunts  were  very 


Old  Mackinaiv  in  1818.  331 

exciting1,  and  were  enjoyed  by  Indians  and  whites  alike. 
None  of  the  officers  were  married,  and  as  the  sutler's 
store  furnished  the  only  means  of  spending  their 
money,  they  were  forced  to  be  frugal  and  saving.  They 
were  a  convivial,  jolly  set. 

Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  was  the  nearest  postoffice,  and 
the  mail  was  carried  generally  by  soldiers  on  foot, 
and  was  received  once  a  month.  The  wild  onion  grew 
in  great  quantities  along  the  banks  of  the  river,  and 
in  the  woods  adjoining  the  leek  abounded,  and  doubt- 
less Chicago  derived  its  name  from  the  onion,  and  not, 
as  some  suppose,  from  the  (animal)  skunk.  The  In- 
dian name  for  this  animal  is  chi-kack,  for  the  veg- 
etable, chi-goug;  both  words  were  used  to  indicate 
strong  odors. 

What  is  now  known  as  the  North  Branch  was  then 
known  as  River  Guarie,  named  after  the  first  trader  that 
followed  La  Salle.  The  field  he  cultivated  was  trace- 
able on  the  prairie  by  the  distinct  marks  of  the  corn 
hills. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  ILLINOIS. 

BY  J.  GILLESPIE. 

It  is  difficult  to  draw  a  distinct  line  of  demarcation 
between  the  different  epochs,  that  is  the  French,  the 
pioneer  and  the  permanent  settler's.  They  run  into 
each  other  and  become  to  a  considerable  extent  blended, 
still  in  order  to  present  a  record  of  the  early  history  of 
this  state,  they  must  be  regarded  as  distinct  eras.  The 
object  of  the  settlement  of  the  French  here  was  two- 
fold; one  was  to  extend  the  theater  of  church  opera- 
tions, the  other  was  for  commercial  purposes.  The 
first  adventurers  were  ecclesiastical  dignitaries,  and 
they  located  missions  wherever  they  went.  Kaskaskia 
was  the  center  of  their  field  in  this  region.  Afterward 
the  government  of  affairs  was  placed  under  Crozat  and 
the  Company  of  the  Indies — to  subserve  the  commer- 
cial purposes.  %  The  people  who  were  sent  out  were 
used  as  auxiliaries  to  these  ends.  They  were  located 
in  villages  to  which  were  attached  common  fields  of 
several  miles  extent,  and  each  settler  had  his  strip  or 
arpent  of  land  for  cultivation,  which  was  somewhat  like 
a  mathematical  line,  all  length  and  no  breadth.  The 
residences  of  these  settlers  were  clustered  in  the 
village  within  sound  of  the  church  bell  or  the  violin  of 
the  musician.  When  these  communities  became  over- 
crowded a  new  colony  was  established  similar  to  the 
first,  and  so  on.  The  control  of  affairs  was  entirely  in 
the  hands  of  the  ecclesiastics.  All  marriages  were 
authorized  and  solemnized  by  them.  All  entrances  into, 
and  exits  from  this  world  were  under  their  peculiar 

(332) 


Settlement  of  Illinois.  333 

supervision.  Conveyances  of  property  and  settlements 
of  controversies  were  noted  by  and  effected  through 
their  instrumentality.  Grants  of  land  and  the  regula- 
tions for  their  subdivision  were  ostensibly  made  by  the 
king  of  France.  But  the  real  power  was  in  the  hands 
of  the  priesthood,  but  it  seems  to  have  been  exercised 
by  them  with  scrupulous  regard  to  justice  and  to  the 
satisfaction  of  the  people.  These  people  through  the 
influence  of  the  church  and  their  natural  amiability 
were  kept  on  good  terms  with  the  aborigines.  They 
had  no  ambition  to  found  an  empire,  but  were  willing 
to  live  and  die  as  Frenchmen  in  the  service  of  their 
religious  teachers.  They  had  no  desire  for  change. 
The  country  afforded  them  all  they  needed  in  the  way 
of  subsistence,  and  their  civil  and  religious  government 
was  all  they  desired,  but  their  hearts  were  in  la  belle 
France.  The  French  colonies  were  mere  municipalities, 
and  they  did  not  consider  themselves  as  Americans,  but 
as  Frenchmen  residing  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 
This  was  the  first  stage  of  European  settlement  in  the 
valley  of  the  Mississippi.  In  1763,  the  French  posses- 
sions were  ceded  to  England,  but  at  that  time  no 
attempt  had  been  made  to  establish  English  settlements 
on  the  great  river.  During  the  revolutionary  war,  the 
expedition  of  Gen.  George  Rogers  Clark  was  fitted  out 
by  Virginia  and  succeeded  in  wresting  these  French 
settlements  from  England.  The  conquest  of  the  coun- 
try, so  far  as  the  French  people  were  concerned,  was 
an  easy  task.  The  English  military  commandants  had 
made  themselves  exceedingly  obnoxious,  and  any 
change  was  looked  upon  by  the  people  as  for  the  bet- 
ter. It  is  true  a  considerable  number  of  the  French 
crossed  the  river  into  Spanish  territory  and  settled  in 
St.  Genevieve,  Corondolet  and  St.  Louis.  The  govern- 
ment of  Virginia  could  not  pay  her  troops  in  money,  and 
she  provided  that  the  soldiers  under  Clark  should  each 
be  entitled  to  a  tract  of  land  in  the  conquered  country 
in  payment  for  their  services.  The  country  being  rich 


334  Settlement  of  Illinois. 

beyond  anything  they  had  ever  thought  of,  most  of 
them  settled  here  upon  their  lands,  and  they  were  fol- 
lowed by  their  acquaintances  who  likewise  settled  in 
the  country.  The  troops  under  Clark,  although  in  the 
service  of  Virginia,  were  nevertheless  gathered  up 
about  the  falls  of  the  Ohio  where  Louisville  now  stands, 
and  were  composed  of  Virginians,  Kentuckians,  Ten- 
nesseans,  North  and  South  Carolinians,  and  the  people 
who  followed  them  were  from  those  states.  These  peo- 
ple differed  toto  ceolo  from  the  French.  They  considered 
themselves  as  Americans,  and  hardly  knew  that  they 
were  descended  from  English  stock.  They  were  Indian 
haters  and  Indian  fighters,  and  had  fewer  compunctions 
of  conscience  for  killing  an  Indian  than  they  would 
have  for  killing  a  wolf.  They  were  not  contented  with 
a  narrow  strip  of  land  in  a  common  field,  like  the 
Frenchman.  Nothing  less  than  a  big  farm  isolated 
from  neighbors  would  suit  them.  They  cared  nothing 
for  the  protection  or  company  that  villages  afforded ; 
each  man  generally  depended  upon  himself  and  his 
trusty  rifle  for  protection.  It  is  true,  they  assembled  in 
squads  to  pursue  Indian  marauders,  but  generally  they 
lived  in  solitude,  except  their  families;  they  possessed 
greater  individuality  than  any  people  on  earth.  These 
American  settlers  recognized  no  authority  but  that  of 
law,  and  if  they  were  beyond  its  reach  they  made  it  for 
the  occasion.  They  had  their  regulating  societies  for 
punishing  law  breakers,  before  whom  every  offender 
was  brought  and  duly  charged,  and  no  man  was  pun- 
ished without  having  an  opportunity  of  being  con- 
fronted with  the  witnesses  againt  him,  and  presenting 
his  defense,  if  he  had  any.  Generally  he  had  a  patient 
hearing  and  an  impartial  decision.  These  people  had 
no  priests  like  the  French  to  expound  the  laws;  they 
were  natural  government  makers.  Any  one  of  them 
might  be  called  upon  to  preside  over  the  deliberations 
of  one  of  these  regulating  companies.  As  soon  as 
government  was  extended  over  them  they  settled  down 


Settlement  of  Illinois.  335 

into  law  abiding"  citizens.  In  1783,  Virginia  ceded  her 
rights  in  the  northwestern  territory  to  the  United 
States,  stipulating  for  the  preservation  of  the  rights  of 
the  old  French  inhabitants,  and  of  her  soldiers  under 
Clark,  which  the  government  scrupulously  carried  out; 
and  for  the  purpose  of  inviting  settlers,  an  act  of  con- 
gress was  passed  giving  to  heads  of  families,  who  should 
settle  in  the  country  and  reside  a  certain  length  of 
time,  a  tract  of  land.  When  the  country  was  surveyed 
there  were  three  classes  of  titles  to  lands,  the  location 
of  which  was  not  accurately  known,  to  wit:  The  old 
French  claims,  then  the  military  rights  under  the  Vir- 
ginia regime,  and  lastly  head  rights  under  the  act  of 
congress.  The  government  of  the  United  States  after 
the  survey  of  the  lands  directed  the  land  officers  at 
Kaskaskia  to  take  proof  and  make  report  as  to  the 
location  of  the  above  claims,  and  they  appear  as  claims 
and  sw*veys  in  our  records  as  confirmed  by  congress  to 
the  settlers  or  their  assignees,  and  are  principally 
situated  in  the  counties  of  Madison,  St.  Clair,  Monroe, 
Randolph  and  Peoria.  The  early  American  emigrants 
located  generally  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  French 
settlements,  which  extended  along  the  river  from  Kas- 
kaskia to  Cahokia,  and  the  big  mound  in  Madison.  The 
southern  part  of  Illinois  was  first  settled  by  the  Ameri- 
cans, as  the  current  set  in  from  the  southwestern 
states.  People  generally  emigrate  upon  the  parallel  of 
latitude  in  which  they  are  raised,  as  nearly  as  prac- 
ticable. The  emigration  from  the  slave  states  extended 
about  as  far  north  as  the  latitude  of  Springfield,  the 
wealthier  going  north  and  the  poorer  keeping  down 
south.  The  Americans  I  have  been  speaking  of  I  would 
class  as  the  pioneers,  although  a  large  majority  of  them 
became  permanent  settlers.  A  great  many  of  these 
people  left  the  south  to  get  rid  of  slavery,  but  many 
favored  the  institution  and  wished  to  see  it  introduced 
here.  The  state  could  not  be  admitted  into  the  Union 
with  a  constitution  repugnant  to  the  ordinance  of  1787, 


336  Settlement  of  Illinois. 

which  forever  prohibited  it  in  the  northwestern  terri- 
tory; but  many  believed  that  after  the  admission  the 
constitution  could  be  changed  and  slavery  admitted, 
and  as  the  settlers  were  mostly  from  the  south  it  was 
thought  a  majority  would  favor  it.  In  1823,  a  terrific 
effort  was  made  to  adopt  a  slavery  constitution,  but 
it  was  signally  defeated  by  southern  people.  Here,  in 
1823,  the  great  battle  of  slavery  was  fought  and  won 
by  people  from  the  slave  states.  If  Illinois  had  then 
enlisted  under  the  pro-slavery  banner  Indiana  would 
have  followed  suit,  and  these  two  states  (or  even  Illi- 
nois) on  the  side  of  the  south  at  the  breaking  out  of 
the  rebellion  would  have  made  the  result,  to  say  the 
least  of  it,  doubtful.  All  honor  to  the  men  who  de- 
feated slavery  here  in  1823.  They  builded  more  wisely 
than  they  knew.  About  1830  the  current  of  emigration 
began  to  set  in  from  the  northern  states  to  northern 
Illinois.  Since  then  the  history  is  known  to  all  men, 
and  I  need  say  nothing  about  it.  I  have  endeavored 
to  distinguish  the  epochs  in  the  history  of  our  state' 
into  the  French,  the  pioneer  and  the  permanent — 
three  distinct  eras,  especially  as  to  social  conditions 
which  may  with  no  impropriety  be  called  the  childhood, 
the  youth,  and  the  manhood  of  our  state. 


THE  ART  INSTITUTE  OF  CHICAGO 


TRUSTEES- 1900 -1901 


MARTIN  A.  RYERSON 
SAMUEL  M.  NICKERSON 
WILLIAM  T.  BAKER 
ADOLPHUS  C.  BARTLETT 
JAMES  H.  DOLE 
JOHN  J.  MITCHELL 
ALBERT  A.  SPRAGUE 
SAMUEL  E.  BARRETT 
CHAUNCEY  J.  BLAIR 
STANLEY  MCCORMICK 
WM.  D.  KERFOOT, 

City  Comptroller  (Ex-Offlcio) 


MARSHALL  FIELD 
HENRY  H.  GETTY 
CHARLES  D.  HAMILL 
CHARLES  A.  COOLIDGE 
EDWARD  E.  AYER 
JOHN  C.  BLACK 
JOHN  J.  GLESSNER 
CHARLES  L.  HUTCHINSON 
BRYAN  LATHROP 
R.  HALL  MCCORMICK 
CARTER  H.  HARRISON, 

Mayor  (Ex-Offlcio) 


OFFICERS 

CHARLES  L.  HUTCHINSON,  President  JAMES  H.  DOLE,  Vice- President 

LYMAN  J.  GAGE,  Treasurer  N.  H.  CARPENTER,  Secretary 

WILLIAM  M.  R.  FRENCH,  Director 


EXECUTIVE   COMMITTEE 

CHARLES  L.  HUTCHINSON      JAMES  H.  DOLE      ALBERT  A.  SPRAGUE 

CHARLES  D.  HAMILL   JOHN  C.  BLACK   MARTIN  A.  RYERSON 

WILLIAM  T.  BAKER 


ART    COMMITTEE 


CHARLES  L.  HUTCHINSON 
MARTIN  A.  RYERSON 


JAMES  H.  DOLE 

R.  HALL  MCCORMICK 


338 


Art  Institute. 


THE  ART  INSTITUTE  OF  CHICAGO. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  a  school  of  art  practice, 
including  work  from  the  human  figure,  was  established 
in  Chicago  in  1866 — earlier  probably  than  in  any  other 
city  in  the  country  except  New  York  and  Philadelphia. 
The  society  of  which  this  class  was  the  nucleus,  was 
soon  organized  into  the  Chicago  Academy  of  Design, 
an  association  of  artists,  which  continued  its  active 
career,  with  many  vicissitudes,  until  about  1882.  For 
a  considerable  period  it  played  a  valuable  part,  and 
was  the  only  important  art  center  in  the  city.  About 
1878  an  effort  was  made  to  promote  the  prosperity  of 
the  Academy  of  Design  by  adding  to  the  artist  mem- 
bership a  board  of  trustees  composed  of  business  men; 
but  in  the  course  of  a  year  difficulties  arose,  connected 
chiefly  with  former  obligations  of  the  academy,  and 
the  business  trustees  resigned,  and  formed  an  organi- 
zation called  at  first  the  Chicago  Academy  of  Fine 
Arts,  subsequently  (1882)  changed  to  the  Art  Institute 
of  Chicago. 

The  Art  Institute  was  incorporated  May  24,  1879, 
upon  the  application  of  Marshall  Field,  Murry  Nelson, 
Charles  D.  Hamill,  Ferd.  W.  Peck  and  George  E. 
Adams,  for  "the  founding  and  maintenance  of  schools 
of  art  and  design,  the  formation  and  exhibition  of  col- 
lections of  objects  of  art,  and  the  cultivation  and 
extension  of  the  arts  of  design  by  any  appropriate 
means."  Its  first  president  was  George  Armour,  and 
at  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office  of  one  year, 
L.  Z.  Leiter  held  the  position  for  two  years.  He  was 

(339) 


340  Art  Institute. 

succeeded  by  Chas.  L.  Hutchinson,  who  has  been  re- 
elected  each  succeeding  year,  and  to  whose  energy, 
business  ability  and  artistic  judgment  the  success  of 
the  institution  has  been  in  a  great  measure  due.  Wm. 
M.  R.  French,  the  present  director,  has  had  charge 
of  the  school  and  museum,  and  Newton  H.  Carpenter, 
the  secretary,  has  been  in  the  business  department 
from  the  beginning.  The  following  persons  have  been 
trustees  during  the  whole  history  of  the  institution: 
C.  L.  Hutchinson,  James  H.  Dole,  Wm.  T.  Baker, 
N.  K.  Fairbank  and  S.  M.  Nickerson. 

For  three  years  the  Art  Institute  occupied  rented 
rooms  at  the  southwest  corner  of  State  and  Monroe 
streets.  From  the  beginning  an  art  school  was  main- 
tained, and  the  school  is,  therefore,  now  in  its  twenty- 
second  year.  Occasional  exhibitions  were  also  given. 
In  1882  property  at  the  corner  of  Michigan  avenue  and 
Van  Buren  street,  54x172  feet,  occupied  partly  by  a 
three-story  building,  was  purchased,  at  a  cost  of  $45,- 
000.  The  considerations  which  led  to  the  selection  of 
this  locality  have  been  justified  by  experience.  The 
fine  situation  upon  the  lake  shore  and  proximity  to  the 
heart  of  the  city  are  overwhelming  recommendations 
both  of  the  former  and  present  sites  of  the  museum. 
During  1882  a  substantial  brick  building,  72x54  feet, 
containing  exhibition  galleries  and  school  rooms,  and 
fronting  upon  Van  Buren  street,  was  built  upon  a  part 
of  this  property.  Up  to  this  time  the  Art  Institute 
had  come  into  possession,  by  purchase  or  gift,  of  a 
very  few  good  pictures,  marbles  and  casts.  During 

1885  a  collection  of  casts  of  antique  sculpture,  costing 
about  $1,800,  was  imported  and  placed  upon  permanent 
exhibition.     The  cost  of  these  purchases  and  improve- 
ments was  met  by  subscriptions,  membership  dues  and 
issue   of   bonds  secured  upon  the   property.     In   1885 
twenty-six  feet  of  adjacent  land  was  purchased,  and  in 

1886  and  1887  a  beautiful  brown-  stone  building,  80x100 
feet  and  four  stories  high,  Romanesque  in  design,  and 


Art  Institute.  341 

planned  by  John  W.  Root,  architect,  was  erected,  oc- 
cupying the  southwest  corner  of  Michigan  avenue  and 
Van  Buren  street.  This  building  was  opened  Novem- 
ber, 1887.  During  the  next  five  years  the  building  was 
outgrown,  and  in  1892  the  property  was  sold  for  $425,- 
000  to  the  Chicago  club,  the  present  occupant.  By 
this  time  the  Institute  had  not  only  become  possessed 
of  valuable  collections  of  casts  of  sculpture,  pictures, 
metals,  antique  vases,  etc.,  but  had  gained  the  favor  of 
the  community.  It  was  prepared,  therefore,  to  take 
advantage  of  the  opportunity  offered  by  the  Columbian 
Exposition  to  obtain  a  footing  upon  the  lake  front. 

By  city  ordinance,  passed  in  March,  1891,  permis- 
sion was  given  for  the  erection  of  a  building  upon  the 
lake  front,  opposite  Adams  street,  to  be  used  for  the 
world's  congresses  during  the  Columbian  Exposition, 
and  afterward  to  be  permanently  occupied  by  the  Art 
Institute,  the  building  to  be  the  property  of  the  city  of 
Chicago.  Between  February,  1892,  and  May,  1893,  the 
present  museum  building  was  erected  after  the  plans 
of  Shepley,  Rutan  &  Coolidge,  architects.  The  Art 
Institute  thus,  in  effect,  made  a  gift  to  the  people  of 
the  city  of  the  money  expended  by  it  upon  the  build- 
ing— about  $450,000— and  gained  a  public  character 
very  advantageous  for  the  public  service  at  which  it 
aims. 

An  injunction,  issued  May  31,  1892,  restraining  the 
city  from  erecting  any  building  upon  the  Lake  Front 
park,  was  dissolved  upon  a  rehearing,  June  23,  mainly 
upon  the  ground  that  the  legislature  of  Illinois,  by  an 
act  of  1890,  had  authorized  the  city  to  permit  the  erec- 
tion of  buildings  connected  with  the  Columbian  Expo- 
sition upon  the  lake  front,  and  to  retain  some  of  them 
permanently.  By  this  decision  the  Art  Institute 
became  firmly  established  in  its  rights  upon  the  lake 
front. 

Among  the  conditions  under  which  the  Columbian 
Exposition  made  an  appropriation  of  $200,000  for  the 


342 


Art  Institute. 


THE  ART  INSTITUTE — MAIN  ENTRANCE. 


Art  Institute.  343 

building"  were  the  following' :  That  at  least  $500,000 
should  be  expended  upon  the  building1;  that  the  build- 
ing should  be  controlled  by  the  Exposition  for  the  use 
of  the  world's  congresses  from  May  1  to  November  1, 
1893;  and  that  it  should  contain  rooms  and  appliances 
suitable  for  the  meetings  of  the  world's  congresses. 
The  cost  of  the  building  to  date  has  been  about 
$785,000. 

The  Art  Institute  came  into  full  possession  of  the 
building,  November  ] ,  1893. 

The  building  is  built  of  Bedford  limestone,  thor- 
oughly fireproof,  and  may  be  described  as  in  style 
Italian  Renaissance,  the  details  classic,  and  of  Ionic 
and  Corinthian  orders.  The  front  is  eighty  feet  back 
from  Michigan  avenue,  the  building  320  feet  long,  the 
wings  170  feet  deep,  with  projections  which  make  the 
whole  depth  208  feet.  The  rear  and  center  are  not  yet 
built.  It  was  planned  with  great  care  for  exhibition 
purposes,  and  there  are  few  better  buildings  in  exist- 
ence for  the  exhibition  of  pictures  and  fine  art  objects, 
as  regards  lighting,  accessibility,  simplicity  of  arrange- 
ment and  convenience  of  classification.  A  view  of  the 
building  and  plans  of  the  main  floors  accompany  this 
description. 

The  ownership  of  this  building  is  vested  in  the  city 
of  Chicago,  while  the  right  of  use  and  occupancy  is 
vested  in  the  Art  Institute  so  long  as  it  shall  fulfill  the 
purposes  for  which  it  was  organized,  shall  open  the 
museum  free  to  the  public  on  Wednesdays,  Saturdays, 
Sundays  and  public  holidays,  shall  make  the  mayor  and 
comptroller  of  the  city  ex-officio  members  of  the  board 
of  trustees  and  shall  conform  to  some  other  simple  con- 
ditions. 

During  1897  a  lecture  room,  in  accordance  with  the 
original  plans  of  the  building,  was  built,  and  presented 
to  the  institution  bv  Charles  W.  Fullertonas  a  memorial 

.^ 

to  his  father,  Alexander  N.  Fullerton.  This  room  seats 
500  persons,  and  is  a  model  lecture  room,  as  regards 


Art  Institute. 


MONUMENTAL  STAIRCASE  AND  DOME. 
[Proposed;  from  Architect's  Drawing.] 


Art  Institute. 


345 


346 


Art  Institute. 


SONG  OF  THE  LARK— Jules  Breton. 


Art  Institute. 


347 


PORTRAIT  OF  A  GIRL— Eeinlrmult. 


348  Art  Institute. 

comfort  in  seating,  ventilation,  acoustic  properties  and 
tasteful  adornment.  A  library  building-  of  the  most 
beautiful  and  commodious  description,  also  embraced 
in  the  plans,  is  almost  completed,  through  the  generosity 
of  Martin  A.  Ryerson,  and  will  be  occupied  in  the 
autumn  of  1901. 

The  accessions  to  the  collections  during  the  last 
six  years  have  been  numerous  and  important,  so  that 
the  Art  Institute  now  ranks,  as  an  art  museum,  among 
the  first  three  or  four  in  the  country. 

Mrs.  Henry  Field  has  committed  permanently  to 
the  Art  Institute  the  entire  collection  of  paintings 
which  belonged  to  her  husband,  the  late  Henry  Field, 
a  former  trustee  of  the  Art  Institute.  This  collection 
comprises  forty-one  pictures,  and  represents  chiefly  the 
Barbizon  school  of  French  painters,  including  Millet's 
well  known  "Bringing  Home  the  New-born  Calf," 
Jules  Breton's  "Song  of  the  Lark,"  Troyon's  "Re- 
turning from  the  Market  "  and  fine  examples  of  Rous- 
seau, •  Corot,  Cazin,  Constable  and  Daubigny.  The 
collection  is  placed  in  a  separate  room,  known  as  the 
Henry  Field  Memorial  Room,  and  held  in  trust  by  five 
trustees,  appointed  by  Mrs.  Field.  Mrs.  Field  also 
authorized  the  trustees  to  order  from  Mr.  Edward 
Kemeys,  the  sculptor  of  animals,  two  monumental 
bronze  lions,  to  stand  upon  the  flanks  of  the  great 
external  approach  of  the  museum.  These  lions  were 
unveiled  May  10,  1894. 

In  1890  the  dispersion  of  the  choicest  works  of  the 
famous  Demidoff  collection  of  works  by  old  masters, 
which  had  been  withheld  from  a  sale  at  which  most  of 
the  collection  was  sold  in  1880,  furnished  an  opportun- 
ity through  which  the  Art  Institute  secured  thirteen 
works  by  old  masters,  chiefly  of  the  Dutch  school,  some 
of  them  famous  examples  of  the  artists  by  whom  they 
were  painted.  The  reception  of  these  pictures  marks 
an  epoch  in  the  artistic  growth  of  the  city.  The  collec- 
tion contains  five  examples  of  portraiture,  which  are 


Art  Institute. 


349 


350 


Art  Institute. 


PORTRAIT— Franz  Hals. 


Art  Institute. 


351 


THE  VIDETTE — Meissonier. 


352  Art  Institute. 

representative  of  Rembrandt,  Rubens,  Van  Dyck,  Frans 
Hals  and  Holbein;  "The  Guitar  Lesson, "  by  Terburg, 
and  "A  Family  Concert,"  by  Jan  Steen,  which  are 
admirable  works  of  these  artists;  a  landscape  by  Hob- 
bema,  which  may  be  counted  among  his  masterpieces; 
"  The  Jubilee,"  by  Van  Ostade,  a  work  of  the  highest 
merit,  and  creditable  examples  of  the  work  of  Teniers, 
Ruysdael  and  Adrian  Van  de  Velde. 

The  museum  has  also  been  gradually  accumulat- 
ing valuable  paintings  by  purchase  and  gift.  Among 
the  American  painters  represented  are  Chase,  Hitch- 
cock, Alex.  Harrison,  McEwen,  Dannat,  Inness, 
Vedder,  Pearce  and  Davis.  In  1898  a  fine  collection 
of  about  sixty  paintings,  which  had  for  some  time 
been  exhibited  in  the  galleries,  was  bequeathed  to- 
the  Institute  by  Albert  A.  Hunger,  a  life-long 
citizen  of  Chicago.  Among  works  of  the  highest 
merit  this  collection  contains  Meissonier's  "  Vidette  "; 
"The  Bathers,"  by  Bouguereau;  "Just  before 
Sunrise,"  by  Corot;  de  Neuville's  "A  Piece  in 
Danger";  Detaille's  "  Reconnoissance  " ;  Jacquet'& 
"Queen  of  the  Camp";  "Springtime  and  Love,"  by 
Michetti,  and  Munkascsy's  "The  Challenge."  Ge- 
rome,  Rosa  Bonheur,  Van  Marcke,  Fromentin,  Vibert, 
Roybet,  Charlemont,  Zimmerman,  Achenbach,  Jacque, 
Schreyer,  Troy  on,  Courbet,  Isabey,  Makart  and  many 
other  leaders  of  the  modern  world  of  art  are  repre- 
sented. 

The  Art  Institute  also  keeps  up  important  loan 
collections,  and  holds  passing  exhibitions,  so  that  the 
exhibition  of  pictures  is  very  extensive. 

The  collection  of  reproductions  of  sculpture  is  also 
very  large  and  comprehensive.  A  great  proportion  of 
it  is  the  gift  of  Mrs.  A.  M.  H.  Ellis,  who  has  put  it, 
under  the  name  of  her  former  husband,  as  "The  El- 
bridge  G.  Hall  Collection."  In  accordance  with  the 
wishes  of  the  donor,  it  includes  only  full-sized  fac- 
similes of  original  works  of  sculpture.  It  includes  not 


Art  Institute. 


353 


354 


Art  Institute. 


TEUCER — Thornycroft. 


Art  Institute. 


355 


356 


Art  Institute. 


fcj 
^ 

^ 

S>* 


Art  Institute. 


357 


358  Art  Institute. 

only  classical,  but  Renaissance  and  modern  sculpture, 
the  contemporary  collection  being  the  most  important 
in  America.  Among  modern  sculptors  represented  are 
Dubois,  Mercie,  Barrias,  Cain,  Chapu,  Falguiere,  Ro- 
din, Fremiet,  Thornycroft,  St.  Gaudens,  Bartlett, 
French,  Potter,  etc.  The  French  government  sent  to 
the  Columbian  Exposition,  as  a  part  of  the  national 
exhibit,  an  extensive  historical  collection  of  archi- 
tectural casts,  reproduced  from  collections  in  Paris, 
destined  to  become  at  the  end  of  the  Fair  a  part  of  the 
permanent  collection  of  the  Art  Institute.  This  re- 
markable collection,  which  is  unsurpassed  in  its  kind, 
either  in  quality  or  extent,  is  now  installed,  as  far  as 
room  permits,  in  the  galleries  of  the  Art  Institute,  but 
a  considerable  part  of  it  is  stored  away. 

Another  element  in  the  sculpture  collection  is  the 
gallery  of  reproductions  of  the  antique  bronzes  of  the 
Naples  museum,  109  fac-similes  of  the  most  famous 
statues,  busts,  tripods,  statuettes,  lamps  and  other 
objects  found  at  Herculanaeum  and  Pompeii.  This 
collection  was  the  gift  of  H.  N.  Higinbotham.  They 
were  purchased  through  the  fine  art  department  of  the 
Columbian  Exposition,  and  are  certified  by  the  director 
of  the  Naples  museum  to  be  perfect  reproductions. 

Another  department,  which  has  already  attained 
importance,  is  that  of  original  Egyptian  antiquities. 
Through  the  interest  of  Mr.  Getty,  Mr.  Ryerson  and 
Mr.  Hutchinson  accessions  have  been  made  of  typical 
Egyptian  objects  of  great  rarity  and  value,  sufficient 
to  form  a  collection  respectable  in  quantity,  and  more 
than  respectable  in  quality.  There  is  also  a  very  care- 
fully collected  and  adequately  representative  collec- 
tion of  classical  antiquities,  Greek  vases,  figurines, 
lamps  and  fragments,  and  marble  Roman  remains,  both 
sculptural  and  architectural.  Other  fields  of  art  are 
represented  by  collections  of  embroideries,  tapestries, 
painted  fans,  textiles,  etc.,  presented  by  the  society 


Art  Institute. 


359 


360 


Art  Institute. 


THE  OLD  CASTLE  MICHEL. 


Art  Institute.  361 

of  ladies  called  the  Antiquarians  of  the  Art  Institute, 
and  of  musical  instruments,  armor,  etc. 

In  the  summer  of  1900,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  M.  Nicker- 
son  presented  to  the  museum  of  the  Art  Institute  their 
splendid  private  collection  of  jades,  crystals,  paintings, 
etc. ,  and  fitted  up  two  galleries  for  the  permanent  instal- 
lation of  the  collection. 

The  library  is  a  well  established  department,  con- 
nected both  with  museum  and  school.  It  contains  at 
present  not  more  than  2,400  volumes,  but  it  is  strictly 
confined  to  fine  art,  and  includes  many  valuable  works. 
In  it  is  kept  the  great  collection  of  large  carbon  photo- 
graphs, known  as  the  Braun  autotypes,  16,000  in  num- 
ber, including  reproductions  of  the  paintings,  drawings 
and  sculpture  of  most  of  the  well  known  galleries  of 
Europe.  These  are  the  gift  of  Dr.  D.  K.  Pearsons. 
The  library  is  open  at  all  times  to  members  and 
students,  and  is  practically  a  free  public  library  upon 
Wednesdays  and  Saturdays,  open  days  of  the  museum. 
It  has  the  prospect  of  large  extensions  soon. 

The  school  of  instruction  in  art  practice  has  always 
been  a  vital  part  of  the  Art  Institute.  It  includes  well 
organized  departments  of  painting,  sculpture,  dec- 
orative designing  and  architecture.  Excellent  accom- 
modation has  been  secured  by  building  a  series  of  low 
skylighted  studios  in  the  rear  of  the  main  building, 
and  the  students  enjoy  the  full  use  of  galleries,  library, 
lecture  room,  etc.  It  has  grown  to  be  the  most  com- 
prehensive and  probably  the  largest  fine  art  school  in 
the  United  States.  There  are  500  regular  day  students, 
about  300  evening  students,  and  350  normal  and  ju- 
venile students.  The  whole  enrollment  is  about  2,000 
a  year,  and  the  number  of  instructors  about  seventy. 
This  school  is  wholly  self-supporting,  earning  and  ex- 
pending about  $40,000  per  annum.  The  most  ad- 
vanced branches  are  taught,  and  distinguished  teach- 
ers from  a  distance  are  called  in  from  time  to  time. 
Diplomas  are  given  upon  the  completion  of  prescribed 


362 


Art  Institute. 


Art  Institute. 


363 


364  Art  Institute. 

courses.     The  histor\r  and   theory  of  art,  as  well   as 
practice,  are  made  subjects  of  instruction. 

The  Art  Institute  is  without  endowment,  except  a 
bequest  of  $75,000  received  from  Mrs.  E.  S.  Stickney, 
during  1898,  and  a  beginning  of  a  life  membership  fund, 
now  about  $12,000.  It  has  never  had  any  assistance 
from  city  or  state  except  permission  to  build  upon  pub- 
lic land.  Its  support  is  derived  from  membership  dues, 
door  fees,  tuition  fees  and  voluntary  gifts. 

The  trustees  have  steadily  aimed  at  making  the  in- 
stitution self-supporting,  if  possible,  from  the  regular 
sources  of  income,  chiefly  membership  dues,  door  fees 
and  tuition  fees. 

The  Art  Institute  is  in  the  fullest  sense  an  institu- 
tion conducted  for  the  public  good.  Without  a  dollar 
of  assistance  from  the  city,  save  the  permission  to 
build  upon  the  lake  front,  its  managers  have  erected  a 
museum  building  and  gathered  a  collection  which  com- 
mands the  respect  of  all  competent  judges,  and  which 
is  the  subject  of  pride  and  satisfaction  to  all  right 
minded  citizens.  The  art  school  has  grown  to  be  one 
of  the  very  foremost,  both  in  the  number  of  students 
and  the  standard  of  excellence.  The  fine  galleries  are 
open  absolutely  free  to  the  public  more  than  160  days 
every  year,  and  upon  other  days  not  only  the  members 
and  their  families,  numbering  more  than  10,000,  but 
public  school  teachers,  to  the  number  of  4,600,  and  all 
professional  artists  are  freely  admitted.  Classes  study- 
ing art  are  admitted  free  at  all  times  under  easy  condi- 
tions. Public  school  children  are  admitted  with  their 
teachers  to  certain  exhibitions.  The  reference  library 
is  practically  open  to  every  student  of  art.  A  continual 
series  of  exhibitions,  lectures  and  activities  connected 
with  art  is  kept  up,  whereby  the  torch  of  artistic  culture 
is  kept  burning  in  the  community. 

In  short,  the  trustees  have  established  and  main- 
tained a  public  museum  and  school  of  art  of  the  highest 


Art  Institute. 


365 


366 


Art  Institute. 


ALICE — Chase. 


Art  Institute. 


367 


character,  not  only  without  large  private  gifts  of  money, 
but  without  any  kind  of  governmental  aid. 

Mr.  T.  B.  Blackstone  has  since  left  $25,000. 

Mrs.  Maria  Sheldon  Scammon  (the  widow  of  John 
Young  Scammon),  who  died  April  28,  1901,  bequeathed 
to  the  Art  Institute  a  tract  of  land  of  the  value  of  about 
$50,000,  of  which  the  proceeds  are  to  form  the  founda- 
tion of  lecture  courses  upon  art,  primarily  for  the 
benefit  of  students,  preferably  by  persons  of  distinc- 
tion not  already  connected  with  the  Art  Institute,  to  be 
known  as  "The  Scammon  Lectures." 

W.  M.  R.  FRENCH. 


THE-ARTINSTITYTE' 
•OF -CHICAGO 


Captain  Meriwether  Lewis  was  mur- 
dered and  robbed  while  on  his  way  to  Washing- 
ton, D.  C..  by  Joshua  Grinder,  October  11,  1809. 
in  what  is  now  the  county  of  Lewis,  Tenn. 

It  was  rumored  at  this  time  that  he 
committed  suicide,  but  doubtless  this  orig- 
inated in  the  east,  where  he  was  known  to  be 
of  a  hypochondriac  disposition,  but  which 
affliction  had  entirely  disappeared  with  his 
active,  out-of-door  life  in  the  west.  It  was  a 
theory,  groundless  and  cruel,  that  even  the 
perpetrators  of  the  crime  did  not  stay  to  urge 
in  their  own  defense.  In  erecting  the  only 
monument  in  this  broad  land  that  stands  to  the  memory  of  the  great 
explorer,  the  state  of  Tennessee  recognized  the  value  of  local  evidence 
over  groundless  theory. 

The  monument  was  built  at  the  cost  of  $500,  appropriated  by  the 
general  assembly  of  Tennessee  in  1848.  Its  base  is  of  uncut  sandstone, 
surmounted  by  a  plinth  of  Tennessee  marble,  on  which  were  cut  the 
inscriptions.  Above  this  rises  the  marble  shaft,  about  twelve  feet  in 
height,  roughly  broken  at  the  top,  emblematic  of  the  violent  and  un- 
timely end  of  a  glorious  career.  Five  years  before  erecting  the  mon- 
ument the  general  assembly  passed  an  act  creating  the  county  of 
Lewis.  The  introductory  clause  of  the  act  read  as  follows:  "In  honor 
of  Captain  Meriwether  Lewis,  who  has  rendered  distinguished  serv- 
ices to  his  country,  and  whose  remains  lie  buried  and  neglected  within 
its  limits."  The  new  county  was  carved  out  of  four 
others  cornering  near  the  grave,  in  near  a  circle 
with  it  as  a  pivotal  point. 

Of  him  Thomas  Jefferson  said:  "  His 
courage  was  undaunted:  his  firmness  and 
perseverance  yielded  to  nothing  but 
impossibilities.  A  rigid  disciplinarian, 
yet  tender  as  a  father  to  those  com- 
mitted to  his  charge.  Honest,  disin- 
terested, liberal,  with  a  sound  under- 
standing and  a  scrupulous  fidelity  to 
truth." 

VERNE  S.  PEASE,  in  The  Southern 
Magazine,  February,  1894. 


THOMAS  JEFFERSON,  IN  1803,  AT  THE  AGE  OF  SIXTY. 
First  Published  in  McClure's  Magazine. 


OREGON. 

Oregon,  though  now  one  of  the  great  states  of  the 
Pacific  northwest,  yet  is  within  the  toils  of  Chicago's 
commerce.  How  this  came  about  forms  one  of  the 
most  interesting  chapters  of  American  history,  with 
which  Chicago's  history  is  interwoven.  Three  nations 
have  laid  claim  to  the  Oregon  country,  as  it  was  first 
called,  which  embraced  the  territory  along  the  Pacific 
coast  from  the  forty- second  parallel,  northward,  to  the 
parallel  of  54°  40';  being  the  southern  limits  of  the 
Russian  possessions,  which  that  power  owned  by  virtue 
of  priority  of  discovery  by  Behring,  the  celebrated 
Russian  navigator,  after  whom  Behring  Straits  were 
named.  Spain  claimed  this  country  on  the  ground 
that  Juan  de  Fuca,  in  1592,  discovered  and  entered  the 
straits  which  bear  his  name,  and  that  Bruno  Heceta 
sailed  along  this  coast  in  1775.  The  English  claims 
rested  on  the  voyages  of  Meares  in  1786,  and  later,  on 
those  of  Vancouver  in  1789,  along  the  coasts  and  into 
the  Straits  of  Fuca.  The  claims  of  the  United  States, 
which  came  in  last,  transcended  all  these  in  the  princi- 
ples of  national  rights,  especially  as  to  priority  of 
interior  exploration  as  against  England. 

At  St.  Petersburg,  April  5, 1824,  Russia  having  relin- 
quished any  right  which  might  accrue  to  her  south  of 
54°  40',  the  question  of  ownership  to  the  coast  south  of 
that  parallel  was  left  open  to  negotiation  to  the  other 
powers  just  named.  France  never  set  up  any  claim 
west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  which  range  was  the 
western  limits  of  Louisiana,  an  undisputed  title  to 

(36!)) 


370 


Oregon. 


which  had  been  vested  in  France  by  virtue  of  La 
Salle's  exploration  of  the  Mississippi  river  to  its 
mouth  in  1682.  This  immense  country  had  been  ceded 
by  France  to  Spain  in  1763,  the  orders  for  the  surren- 
der of  which  were  issued  at  Versailles,  April  21,  1764. 
Spain  held  possession  of  it  till,  by  the  secret  treaty  of 
San  Ildefonso,  October  1,  1800,  she  retroceded  it  to 
France,  and  the  latter  power  sold  it  to  the  United 
States  in  1803.  By  treaty  with  Spain  in  1819,  that 
power  made  a  deed  of  cession  to  the  United  States  of 
any  territory  on  that  coast  she  had  hitherto  laid  claim 
to,  north  of  the  forty-second  parallel,  at  the  same  time 
ceding  Florida  to  the  United  States  for  a  consideration 
of  $5,000,000.  Mexico  won  her  independence  of  Spain 
in  1821,  at  which  time  this  parallel  became  the  bound- 
ary line  between  Mexico  and  the  United  States.  The 
former  power  confirmed  this  line  in  1828.  This  treaty 
was  very  timely  and  fortunate  for  the  United  States, 
as  a  defined  issue  with  England  could  now  be  made  with- 
out complication  with  any  other  nation;  for  previous  to 
this  treaty,  as  far  as  priority  of  discovery  was  concerned, 
Spain  had  the  advantage  of  any  other  country. 

Now  came  a  contest  between  Great  Britain  and  the 
United  States  for  this  immense  empire,  slumbering  in 
obscurity,  inhabited  by  savage  tribes  of  Indians,  some 
of  them  hitherto  unknown  to  civilization.  The  claims 


of  the  United  States  rested,  first,  on  the  explorations 
of  Robert  Gray,  who  sailed  from  Boston  on  September 


Oregon.  371 

30,  1787,  with  two  vessels,  the  "Washington"  and  the 
"Columbia,"  under  the  patronage  of  J.  Barrell,  S. 
Brown,  C.  Bulfinch,  J.  Barley,  C.  Hatch  and  J.  M. 
Pintard.  Their  destination  was  the  northwest  coast 
of  America,  by  doubling  Cape  Horn.  The  object  of 
the  expedition  was  to  establish  trade  relations,  which 
it  did  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  proprietors;  but 
these  objects  were  insignificant  compared  to  the  na- 
tional character  destined  to  grow  out  of  it.  The  ex- 
pedition arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  river  in 
1792;  up  which  stream  Captain  Gray  with  difficulty  sailed 
over  the  sand  bar  at  its  mouth,  and  made  his  way  along 
its  meanders  till  the  snow  capped  peak  of  Mount  Hood 
became  visible.  He  named  this  river  the  "Columbia," 
after  the  vessel  which  he  had  the  honor  of  command- 
ing, in  the  service  of  its  proprietors;  but  in  the  sub- 
limer  service  of  America,  as  history  shows  it  to  have 
been.  He  returned  to  Boston  by  a  western  passage 
around  the  world.  No  American  vessel  had  circum- 
navigated the  world  before,  and  to  him  belongs  the  dis- 
tinguished honor  of  first  carrying  the  stars  and  stripes 
on  such  a  voyage. 

The  next  link  in  the  chain  of  these  great  events 
was  the  purchase  of  the  French  province  of  Louisiana, 
as  already  stated,  April  30,  1803,  for  $15,000,000; 
added  to  which  were  the  cancellation  of  certain  Ameri- 
can claims  for  spoliation  on  the  high  seas.  This  pur- 
chase was  a  timely  check  upon  England,  who  certainly 
would  have  wrested  this  province  from  France,  had  not 
Napoleon,  then  in  power,  sold  it  to  the  United  States, 
which  prevented  such  an  inevitable  humiliation  to  both 
countries.  Had  it  not  been  for  this  sale,  British 
America  would  have  been  our  northern  boundary,  as  it 
now  is  ;  and  our  western  boundary,  from  the  head 
waters  of  the  Mississippi,  along  its  bank  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  crossing  the  river  so  as  to  include  New 
Orleans.  Let  it  not  be  forgotten  that  France,  in  ]  778, 
made  a  treaty  with  the  United  States,  the  first  article 


372  Oregon. 

of  which  guaranteed  the  independence  of  our  republic  ; 
and,  twenty-five  years  later,  sold  Louisiana  to  this 
republic,  giving  it  the  key  to  an  empire  from  ocean  to 
ocean.  All  hail  to  our  sister  republic  !  Spain  was 
deeply  wounded  by  the  transfer  of  this  province  to  a 
power  with  whom  she  had  been  in  rivalry  from  the 
first ;  but  her  protest  to  this  transfer  had  no  weight 
with  Napoleon,  who  had  no  love  for  Spain,  as  evidenced 
by  his  having  annulled  the  old  alliance  between  France 
and  that  nation,  called  the  "  Family  Compact. " 

Thomas  Jefferson,  when  secretary  of  state  under 
Washington,  in  1792,  had  proposed  to  send  an  expedi- 
tion up  the  Missouri,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  the 
fur  trade  with  the  Indians;  and  when  he  became  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  even  before  Louisiana  had 
been  purchased,  he  took  measures  to  send  an  exploring 
expedition  to  the  Pacific  coast.  For  this  purpose  the 
services  of  Meriwether  Lewis,  a  captain  in  the  regu- 
lar army,  and  afterward  private  secretary  to  President 
Jefferson,  and  Capt.  William  Clark,  were  secured  by 
Jefferson  to  explore  the  Missouri  river  to  its  sources, 
thence  to  cross  the  divide  of  its  watershed,  and 
find  some  stream  that  led  to  the  Pacific.  They  had  a 
command  of  forty-four  men,  a  few  of  whom  were  to 
accompany  the  expedition  no  farther  than  the  head- 
waters of  the  Missouri.  A  few  days  after  President 
Jefferson  had  given  Captain  Lewis  his  instructions  as 
commander  of  the  expedition,  news  of  the  conclusion 
of  the  treaty  for  the  cession  of  Louisiana  reached  the 
United  States,  and  without  further  delay  the  expedition 
started.  Their  route  lay  up  the  Missouri  river,  as  far 
as  they  could  go  with  their  boats,  thence  across  the 
divide  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Columbia  river,  with 
horses  purchased  from  the  Indians.  From  the  head- 
waters of  boat  navigation  on  the  Columbia  river  they 
navigated  this  stream  to  its  mouth,  arriving  at  Cape 
Disappointment,  situated  on  its  north  bank,  November 
15,  1805,  where  they  remained  till  March  26,  1806. 


Oregon.  373 

Previous  to  their  departure  from  St.  Louis,  President 
Jefferson  had  given  Lewis  and  Clark  authority  to  pur- 
chase necessary  supplies  for  the  return  of  the  expedi- 
tion, either  across  the  country  or  for  passage  in  vessel 
around  Cape  Horn  for  the  whole  company,  but  thanks 
to  the  good  management  of  the  commanders  of  the 
expedition,  there  was  no  necessity  for  using  this 
authority,  and  they  commenced  their  return,  up  the 
Columbia  river  to  its  sources;  thence  across  the  divide 
to  the  headwaters  of  the  Missouri  river;  thence  down 
that  stream  to  St.  Louis,  arriving  there  September  23 
same  year,  their  return  thus  having  been  by  the  same 
route  on  which  they  had  advanced  into  the  unknown 
two  years  before. 

In  1811  John  Jacob  Astor  established  a  fort,  which 
he  named  Astoria,  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Columbia 
river,  ten  miles  above  its  mouth.  This  fort  was  cap- 
tured by  the  British,  and  named  Fort  George,  during 
the  war  of  1812,  but  was  restored  at  the  treaty  of  Ghent, 
in  1814,  after  which  it  became  a  permanent  point  of 
American  occupation  under  its  original  name,  and  as 
such,  an  evidence  of  American  ownership. 

Much  has  been  said  and  written  on  international 
law,  the  binding  force  of  which  is  a  resort  to  arms  if 
diplomacy  fails;  there  is  an  unwritten  law  of  nations 
that  priority  of  discovery,  exploration  and  occupation 
is  an  acknowledged  national  title  to  lands  thus  discov- 
ered, explored  and  occupied.  On  this  'basis  rested 
the  title  to  the  Pacific  coast  between  the  parallel  of 
42°  on  the  south  to  the  parallel  54°  40'  on  the  north.  Both 
England  and  America  based  their  claims  on  this  prior- 
ity, as  above  stated,  controlling  which  was  a  boundary 
line  between  the  two  nations,  on  the  north,  which  was 
established  in  a  preliminary  way  when  Astoria  was  re- 
stored to  the  Americans  by  the  treaty  of  Ghent. 

At  this  time  the  forty-ninth  parallel  was  first  men- 
tioned between  the  American  and  British  commission- 
ers, but  at  the  treaty  of  Utrecht,  negotiated  in  1713, 


374  Oregon. 

between  Great  Britain  on  one  side  and  Spain  and 
France  on  the  other,  the  forty -ninth  parallel  was  as- 
sumed to  be  the  dividing-  line  between  the  French 
province  of  Louisiana  and  the  British  possessions  to 
the  north.  Some  historians  have  denied  the  binding 
force  of  that  treaty  in  establishing  the  line  of  the 
forty-ninth  parallel,  but  that  this  demarkation  began 
here,  no  one  who  studies  the  intricate  meshes  of  this 
question  can  doubt.  In  the  debates  at  the  ratification, 
in  the  British  house  of  commons,  on  the  Ashburton 
treaty,  mention  was  made  of  a  map  which  had  belonged 
to  the  late  King  George  III,  made  by  Mr.  Faden,  the 
king's  geographer,  after  the  peace  of  1783.  This  map 
had  hung  in  the  king's  library  during  his  lifetime,  and 
subsequently  in  the  foreign  office;  but  it  had  disap- 
peared about  the  time  of  the  Ashburton  treaty.  On  it 
was  written,  in  the  handwriting  of  King  George  III, 
4k  This  is  Oswald's  line,"  referring  to  a  red  line  on  the 
forty-ninth  parallel,  immediately  above  these  words. 
Mr.  Richard  Oswald  was  one  of  the  British  commission- 
ers who  negotiated  the  provisional  treaty  of  peace  of 
1782  between  England  and  America.  In  1843  Sir  Rob- 
ert Peel  and  Lord  Aberdeen  showed  this  map  to  Ed- 
ward Everett,  United  States  minister  to  the  court  of 
St.  James.  On  it  was  the  red  line,  as  fixed  at  the  treaty 
of  Utrecht  in  1713. 

Mr.  Rush  and  Mr.  Gallatin  acted  on  the  part  of 
the  United  States,  and  Mr.  Goulburn  and  Mr.  Robin- 
son, on  the  part  of  Great  Britain,  at  the  first  English 
and  American  negotiations  on  the  forty-ninth  parallel. 
The  American  plenipotentiaries  proposed  that  a  line 
should  be  drawn  from  the  northwestern  extremity  of 
the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  thence  to  the  forty-ninth 
parallel,  which  might  be  to  the  north  or  the  south  of 
that  point,  and  that  a  dividing  line  between  the  two 
nations  should  be  on  this  parallel  to  the  Pacific  ocean. 
Subsequently,  in  running  a  line  from  this  point  on  the 
Lake  of  the  Woods  to  the  forty-ninth  parallel,  it  was 


Oregon.  375 

found  that  this  parallel  was  about  a  degree  to  the 
southward,  hence  that  tangent  point  running  into  the 
Lake  of  the  Woods  on  all  accurate  maps  of  the  United 
States,  showing  its  northern  boundary.  This  line  ran 
substantially  along  the  ridge  dividing  the  northern 
watershed  from  the  Mississippi  watershed.  It  was 
a  natural  boundary,  never  questioned  by  either 
nation,  as  far  as  the  Rocky  mountains. 

When  the  issue  as  to  the  ultimate  ownership  of 
Oregon  became  a  matter  of  discussion  between  Great 
Britain  and  the  United  States,  certain  principles  in  our 
political  and  financial  statecraft  hinged  upon  these 
final  negotiations. 

The  Hudson  Bay  company  had  been  chartered  by 
King  Charles  II  in  1669,  whose  limits  on  the  south  had 
never  been  defined ;  but  whose  ambitions  in  that 
direction  were  in  rivalry  not  only  with  the  American  Fur 
company,  but  with  American  settlements  as  they  tended 
westwardly.  This  opulent  company  had  a  strong 
influence  with  the  British  cabinet ;  on  the  other  side, 
American  emigrants  to  this  country  had  an  equally 
strong  influence  with  the  American  congress.  Here 
was  a  collision  -of  interests  that  must  be  settled  by 
diplomacy  to  prevent  violence  between  the  emigrants 
of  the  two  respective  countries.  According  to  Gray's 
history  of  Oregon,  some  emigrants  from  America  had 
already  been  killed  by  agents  from  the  Hudson  Bay 
company.  Under  this  strain,  the  two  governments  con- 
cluded a  treaty  October  20, 1818, agreeing  that  emigrants 
from  each  country  should  be  allowed  to  settle  in  the 
disputed  territory  for  the  space  of  ten  years.  Pending 
this  joint  occupation,  the  Hudson  Bay  company,  through 
their  advantages  of  wealth  and  a  large  force  of  fur 
hunters,  gained  almost  complete  possession  of  the  dis- 
puted territory,  to  the  exclusion  of  the  American  fur 
hunters  and  trappers.  The  first  object  at  which  they 
aimed  was  to  convince  the  outside  world,  and  especially 
the  people  of  the  United  States,  that  this  country  was 


376  Oregon. 

useless  for  agricultural  purposes,  a  task  which  contin- 
ued to  grow  more  and  more  hopeless  in  proportion  as 
American  settlers  emigrated  to  the  country. 

Mr.  Rush,  when  minister  to  England,  in  1824, 
received  a  proposition  from  the  British  government 
that  the  line  of  separation  between  the  two  govern- 
ments should  be  on  the  forty-ninth  parallel,  from  the 
Lake  of  the  Woods  westward  to  the  northeasternmost 
branch  of  the  Columbia;  thence  down  that  river  to  the 
sea,  substantially  the  same  line  as  had  been  considered 
by  Mr.  Rush  and  the  British  commissioners  in  1814,  but 
not  agreed  to.  In  reply  to  this  proposition  the  Amer- 
icans demanded  the  line  of  the  forty-ninth  parallel 
through  to  the  Pacific  coast.  Mr.  Gallatin,  plenipo- 
tentiary to  the  British  court,  under  instructions  from 
his  government,  did  not  accept  this  proposition, 
although  the  British  declared  they  would  not  settle 
the  boundary  on  any  other  line.  Under  these  circum- 
stances, after  much  diplomatic  caviling  on  the  part  of 
the  British,  both  nations,  by  convention,  August  6, 
1827,  agreed  to  extend  the  terms  of  the  joint  occupation 
indefinitely,  with  a  proviso  that  either  nation  should 
be  at  liberty  to  abrogate  the  agreement  by  giving  one 
year's  notice.  As  there  was  at  this  time  an  increasing 
disposition  on  the  part  of  the  American  people  to  emi- 
grate to  Oregon  for  the  purpose  of  permanent  settle- 
ment, this  temporary  compromise  of  the  issue  was 
considered  to  be  prudential  and  wise,  as  the  sequel 
proved.  The  Americans,  through  their  minister, 
Mr.  Rush,  had  made  no  claim  north  of  the  parallel 
49°,  which  line  had  already  been  conceded  by  the 
British.  The  plenipotentiary  from  the  United  States, 
Mr.  Gallatin,  had  substantially  acceded  to  this  line, 
but  denied  the  claim  of  the  British,  of  the  Columbia 
river  as  the  boundary  from  its  termination  to  the  sea. 

And  now  came  the  real  tug  of  war,  the  issue  being 
divided  in  responsibility  between  the  people  and  the 
government  on  the  American  side,  while  on  the  British 


Oregon.  377 

side  the  responsibility  was  shared,  practically,  between 
the  Court  of  St.  James  and  the  Hudson  Bay  company. 
These  conditions  augmented  the  interest  felt  by  each 
nation,  and  from  this  time  onward  the  Americans  had 
the  advantage,  inasmuch  as  the  strong  hold  they  had  on 
the  territorial  question  grew  out  of  the  desire  of  the 
American  pioneer  to  advance  into  the  western  wilds  for 
the  purpose  of  farming,  while  the  Hudson  Bay  company's 
strongest  incentive  was  to  reap  a  harvest  of  furs,  with 
but  a  remote  prospect  tending  toward  agricultural 
development.  Political  conditions,  the  missionary 
spirit  in  harmony  with  the  pioneer  spirit,  had  deep  root 
in  the  destiny  of  Oregon.  Greenhow,  in  his  "History  of 
Oregon,"  page  361,  says:  "In  1835,  Mr.  Parker,  a  Pres- 
byterian minister  from  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  proceeded  by  way 
of  the  Platt  and  the  South  Pass  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Columbia,  and  thence  returned  to  the  United  States; 
and  from  his  reports,  Messrs.  Spalding,  Gray  and  Whit- 
man were  sent  by  the  American  Board  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions to  prosecute  the  objects  of  that  society  in  the 
Oregon  regions.  Other  missionaries,  with  their  fami- 
lies and  friends,  soon  followed  them,  and  formed  settle- 
ments at  various  points,  in  all  of  which  schools  for  the 
education  of  the  natives  were  opened;  and  a  printing 
press  was  erected  at  Walla  Walla,  on  which  were  struck 
off  the  first  sheets  ever  printed  west  of  the  upper 
Missouri,  north  of  Mexico.  Meantime  congress  con- 
tinued to  discuss  the  Oregon  question,  especially  as  to 
the  necessity  of  abrogating  the  treaty  of  joint  occupa- 
tion. From  this  discussion  those  wishing  to  emigrate 
to  Oregon  felt  confident  of  the  protection  of  their  gov- 
ernment; and  under  this  assurance  nearly  1,000  men, 
women  and  children  formed  a  caravan,  consisting  of 
about  200  wagons  and  a  large  number  of  horses  and 
cattle,  at  Westport,  Mo.,  June,  1843.  From  this  point 
they  started  up  the  Platte  river,  thence  through  the 
South  Pass  across  the  Rocky  mountains,  their  destina- 


378  Oregon. 

tion  being-  the  Willamet  valley,  where  they  arrived  with 
slight  loss  the  following-  October." 

April  3,  1842,  Lord  Ash  burton  arrived  at  Washing-ton, 
as  plenipotentiary  from  Great  Britain,  to  settle  the 
boundary  line  between  British  America  and  the  United 
States,  Mr.  Webster,  secretary  of  state,  acted  in  be- 
half of  the  United  States  on  this  question.  Although 
it  was  generally  expected  by  the  people  of  the  United 
States  that  they  were  to  define  the  boundary  westward 
to  the  Pacific,  they  did  nothing  more  than  to  establish 
a  boundary  between  the  two  countries,  starting  from 
where  the  forty-ninth  parallel  intersected  the  Lake  of 
the  Woods,  thence  southeastwardly  by  the  waters  con- 
necting this  lake  with  Lake  Superior,  thence  east- 
wardly  through  the  center  of  the  entire  chain  of  lakes 
and  their  connections,  till  the  source  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence river  was  reached,  thence  down  that  stream  to 
where  it  intersects  the  northern  line  of  the  state  of 
New  York.  From  this  point  the  present  northern 
boundaries  of  New  York,  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire 
had  already  been  established;  but  the  boundary  be- 
tween Maine  and  New  Brunswick,  in  Canada,  which 
had  remained  in  doubt  ever  since  the  treaty  of  1783, 
was  now  defined  by  the  Ashburton-Webster  treaty,  made 
at  Washington  August  9,  1842,  and  ratified  by  Great 
Britain  October  13,  and  proclaimed  at  Washington  by 
the  president  of  the  United  States,  November  10,  same 
year. 

Congress  now  no   longer  hesitated   to    give    the 
required  year's  notice  of  abrogation  of  the  treaty  of 

To  show  the  English  opinion  at  that  time  on  the  Oregon  ques- 
tion, it  is  pertinent  to  quote  from  the  Edinburgh  Review,  of  July,  1843, 
which  says:  "  However  the  political  questions  between  England  and 
America  as  to  the  ownership  of  Oregon  may  be  decided,  Oregon  will 
never  be  colonized  overland  from  the  United  States.  *  *  *  The 
world  must  assume  a  new  face,  before  the  American  wagons  make 
plain  the  road  to  the  Columbia,  as  they  have  done  to  the  Ohio.  *  * 
Whoever,  therefore,  is  to  be  the  future  owner  of  Oregon,  its  people 
will  come  from  Europe." 


Oregon.  379 

1827,  which  was  done  April  27,  1846,  as  a  necessary 
link  in  the  chain  of  negotiations.  The  American  peo- 
ple were  always  sensitive  on  great  national  issues. 
The  purchase  of  Louisiana  had  whetted  their  appetite 
for  more  territory  to  the  west,  and  it  cannot  be  said, 
that  this  appetite  was  morbid,  as  it  had  international 
law  as  well  as  justice  back  of  it.  The  time  had  now 
come  when  the  arts  of  diplomacy  were  exhausted.  No 
more  evidence  could  be  brought  to  bear  upon  the 
question,  and  it  must  be  apparent  to  every  judicial 
mind  that  the  British  had  none  on  which  to  base  a  claim 
for  territory  south  of  the  forty-ninth  parallel.  Mr. 
Polk,  then  president  of  the  United  States,  had  de- 
manded 54°  40'  as  the  line.  The  English  had  never 
demanded  anything  south  of  the  Columbia  river. 
Negotiations  had  progressed  by  piecemeal,  and  now 
seemed  to  culminate  on  the  forty-ninth  parallel.  On 
the  part  of  America  the  line  of  54°  40'  was  relinquished 
by  the  advice  of  Mr.  Benton,  Mr.  Calhoun  and  Mr. 
Webster,  each  of  whom  took  strong  ground  in  favor 
of  negotiation  to  prevent  war.  Although  Mr.  Polk 
agreed  to  this  concession,  it  was  done  with  apparent 
reluctance.  It  was  an  abandonment  of  the  ground  on 
which  the  presidential  canvass  that  had  elected  him 
had  been  conducted.  It  was  a  proof  that  partisan  ties 
must  give  way  to  patriotism;  for,  when  we  examine 
the  evidence  on  both  sides,  it  must  be  confessed  that 
the  claims  of  America  north  of  the  forty-ninth  parallel 
were  not  superior  to  those  of  Great  Britain,  and  per- 
haps not  equal.  In  the  settlement  of  this  question, 
England,  having  yielded  up  her  claim  of  the  Columbia 
river,  the  issue  between  the  two  nations  had  been  hon- 
orably negotiated  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  representa- 
tive men  of  each  nation.  The  final  treaty  was  executed 
at  Washington,  June  15,  1846.  No  former  treaty 
between  the  United  States  and  any  foreign  power  had 
ever  been  negotiated  under  such  a  crucial  test  as  to 
international  rights  as  this,  and  none,  since  the  days 


380  Oregon. 

of  the  American  revolution,  in  which  the  people  had 
taken  so  much  interest. 

James  Buchanan  acted  on  the  part  of  the  United 
States,  and  Richard  Pakinham  on  the  part  of  England. 
It  was  ratified  at  London,  July  17,  1846,  and  officially 
proclaimed  at  Washington,  August  5,  1846. 

THE  TREATY, 

"The  United  States  of  America  and  her  majesty 
the  queen  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland,  deeming  it  to  be  desirable  for  the  future  wel- 
fare of  both  countries,  that  the  state  of  doubt  and 
uncertainty  which  has  hitherto  prevailed  respecting 
the  sovereignty  and  government  of  the  territory  on  the 
northwest  coast  of  America  lying  westward  of  the 
Rocky  or  Stony  mountains,  should  be  finally  termi- 
nated by  an  amicable  compromise  of  the  rights  mutu- 
ally asserted  by  the  two  parties  over  said  territory, 
have  respectively  named  plenipotentiaries  to  treat 
and  agree,  concerning  the  terms  of  such  settlement ; 
that  is  to  say,  the  president  of  the  United  States  of 
America  has,  on  his  part,  furnished  with  full  powers 
James  Buchanan,  secretary  of  state  of  the  United  States, 
and  her  majesty  the  queen  of  the  United  Kingdom  of 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland  has,  on  her  part,  appointed 
Right  Honorable  Richard  Pakenham,  a  member  of  her 
majesty's  most  honorable  privy  council,  and  her 
majesty's  envoy  extraordinary  and  minister  plenipoten- 
tiary to  the  United  States,  who,  after  having  communi- 
cated to  each  other  their  respective  full  powers,  framed 
in  good  and  due  form,  have  agreed  upon  and  concluded 
the  following  articles  : 

ARTICLE  I. 

"From  the  point  on  the  forty-ninth  parallel  of  north 
latitude,  where  the  boundary  laid  down  in  existing 
treaties  and  conventions  between  Great  Britain  and 
the  United  States  terminates,  the  line  of  boundary  be- 
tween the  territories  of  her  Britannic  majesty  and  those 


Oregon.  381 

of  the  United  States  shall  be  continued  westward  along 
the  forty-ninth  parallel  of  north  latitude  to  the  middle 
of  the  channel  which  separates  the  continent  from  Van- 
couver's island,  and  thence  southerly  through  the  mid- 
dle of  said  channel  and  of  Fuca  straits  to  the  Pacific 
ocean;  provided,  however,  that  the  navigation  of  the 
said  channel  and  straits,  south  of  the  forty-ninth 
parallel  of  north  latitude,  remain  free  and  open  to  both 
parties. 

ARTICLE  II. 

"From  the  point  at  which  the  forty-ninth  parallel 
of  north  latitude  shall  be  found  to  intersect  the  Great 
Northern  branch  of  the  Columbia  river  the  navigation 
of  the  said  branch  shall  be  free  and  open  to  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company,  and  to  all  British  subjects  trading 
with  the  same,  to  the  point  where  the  said  branch  meets 
the  main  stream  of  the  Columbia,  and  thence  down  the 
said  main  stream  to  the  ocean,  with  free  access  into  and 
through  the  said  river  or  rivers;  it  being  understood 
that  all  the  usual  portages  along  the  line  thus  described 
shall  in  like  manner  be  free  and  open.  In  navigating 
the  said  river  or  rivers,  British  subjects,  with  their 
goods  and  produce,  shall  be  treated  on  the  same  footing 
as  citizens  of  the  United  States;  it  being,  however, 
always  understood  that  nothing  in  this  article  shall  be 
construed  as  preventing,  or  intended  to  prevent,  the 
government  of  the  United  States  from  making  any  reg- 
ulations respecting  the  navigation  of  the  said  river  or 
rivers  not  inconsistent  with  the  present  treaty. 

ARTICLE  III. 

"In  the  future  appropriations  of  the  territory  south 
of  the  forty-ninth  parallel  of  north  latitude,  as  provided 
in  the  first  article  of  this  treaty,  the  possessory  rights 
of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and  of  all  British  sub- 
jects who  may  be  already  in  the  occupation  of  land  or 
other  property  lawfully  acquired  within  the  said  ter- 
ritory, shall  be  respected. 


382  Oregon. 

ARTICLE  IV. 

"The  farms,  lands  and  other  property  of  every 
description  belonging  to  the  Puget's  Sound  Agricul- 
tural Co. ,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Columbia  river,  shall 
be  confirmed  to  the  said  company.  In  case,  however, 
the  situation  of  those  farms  and  lands  should  be  con- 
sidered by  the  United  States  to  be  of  public  and  polit- 
ical importance,  and  the  United  States  government 
should  signify  a  desire  to  obtain  possession  of  the  whole, 
or  any  part  thereof,  the  property  so  required  shall  be 
transferred  to  the  said  government  at  a  proper  valua- 
tion, to  be  agreed  upon  between  the  parties. 

ARTICLE  V. 

"The  present  treaty  shall  be  ratified  by  the  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  by  and  with  the  advice  and 
consent  of  the  senate  thereof,  and  by  Her  Britannic 
Majesty;  and  the  ratifications  shall  be  exchanged  at 
London,  at  the  expiration  of  six  months  from  the  date 
hereof,  or  sooner  if  possible. 

"In  witness  thereof,  the  respective  plenipotentia- 
ries have  signed  the  same,  and  have  affixed  thereto  the 
seals  of  their  arms. 

"Done  at  Washington,  the  fifteenth  day  of  June,  in 
the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
forty-six.  JAMES  BUCHANAN. 

RICHARD  PAKENHAM." 

It  is  claimed  by  some  historians  that  Marcus  Whit- 
man visited  Washington  while  the  consideration  of  the 
final  treaty  as  to  the  national  boundary  line  was  pend- 
ing ;  and,  furthermore,  that  in  an  interview  with  Mr. 
Tyler,  then  president  of  the  United  States,  and  Daniel 
Webster,  secretary  of  state,  it  was  agreed  that  if  Mr. 
Whitman  would  lead  a  caravan  of  wagons,  as  he  pro- 
posed to  do,  across  the  Rocky  mountains,  it  would  be 
good  evidence  that  this  chain  of  mountains  was  not  that 
great  insurmountable  barrier  of  nature  which  would 
make  Oregon  valueless  to  the  United  States.  Consist- 


Oregon.  383 

ent  with  this  premise,  the  signing  of  the  treaty  was  to 
be  held  in  suspense  till  this  feat  was  accomplished; 
and  that  Mr.  Whitman  was  the  promoter  and  leader 
of  that  caravan  which  started  from  Westport,  Mo., 
June,  1843,  and  that  the  success  of  the  caravan  deter- 
mined the  president  to  demand  the  forty-ninth  parallel 
as  the  boundary. 

Oliver  W.  Nixon,  editor  of  the  Chicago  Inter  Ocean, 
in  his  book  entitled,  "  How  Marcus  Whitman  Saved 
Oregon,"  has  given  an  exhaustive  account  of  every 
circumstance  pertaining  to  this  theory.  It  is  written 
in  his  graphic  style,  and  imparts  great  interest  to  the 
record  of  events  on  which  it  treats. 

The  peaceful  settlement  of  the  Oregon  question 
was  a  grand  example  of  the  candor  which  marked  the 
diplomacy  of  both  the  nations  interested,  from  1818  to 
1846.  Much  animadversion  had  been  ventilated  through 
the  newspapers  of  both  countries;  but  the  spirit  of 
justice  shown  by  the  diplomats  of  each  was  equal  to 
the  occasion.  Had  either  nation  been  aware  of  the 
immense  value  of  the  country  in  dispute,  the  issue 
might  have  had  a  different  termination.  It  was  fortu- 
nate they  were  not,  otherwise  blood  and  carnage  might 
have  tarnished  the  pages  of  Anglo-American  history 
for  the  third  time.  The  conclusion  of  the  Oregon  treaty 
was  the  last  link  in  the  chain  that  had,  step  by  step, 
brought  under  the  stars  and  stripes  the  fairest  portions 
of  North  America.  The  power  of  Spain  had  vanished 
as  America  had  advanced  westward,  the  reason  for 
which  was  that  her  political  tyranny,  as  well  as  religious 
intolerance,  were  not  suited  to  the  wants  of  the  pioneer 
spirit,  so  jealous  of  liberty,  and  so  able  to  maintain  it, 
as  were  the  American  people. 

The  transfer  of  Louisiana  from  France  to  the 
United  States  was  the  result  of  the  most  fortuitous 
political  conditions,  prevailing  with  the  powers  inter- 
ested, that  history  ever  recorded.  No  expectation 
had  ever  been  entertained  of  the  possibility  of  acquir- 


384 


Oregon. 


ing  this  province,  except  the  portion  of  it  below  the 
thirtjr-first  parallel  which  included  New  Orleans,  until 
the  opportunity  of  doing  so  was  sprung  upon  Robert 
R.  Livingston,  our  envoy  to  France.  Barbe  Marbois, 
Napoleon's  minister  of  the  treasury,  had  been  author- 
ized by  Napoleon  to  make  a  direct  proposition  to 
Mr.  Livingston,  our  envoy  to  France,  to  purchase 
Louisiana  in  its  entirety,  which  meant  to  include  the 
whole  province. 

For  years  much  buncombe  talk  had  been  venti- 
lated among  the  people  of  Kentucky,  of  seizing  New 
Orleans  by  force,  for  the  purpose  of  insuring  the 


ROBERT  R.  LIVINGSTON.' 

free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  river.  Now  that 
Napoleon  was  entirely  willing  to  sell  it,  the  strained 
relations  between  Spain  and  the  United  States  would 
be  dispelled  at  a  single  stroke  of  the  pen,  and  an 
empire  acquired.  Mr.  Livingston  had  no  authority 
from  his  government  to  make  this  purchase;  but  James 
Monroe  had  been  appointed  by  Jefferson  to  assist  him 
in  any  negotiations  pending  between  France,  Spain 


Oregon.  385 

and  the  United  States.  The  negotiations  were  con- 
ducted on  the  part  of  Napoleon  by  Marbois,  and  on  the 
part  of  the  United  States  by  Mr.  Livingston,  till  Mr. 
Monroe  arrived,  when  the  bargain  was  consummated. 
This  bargain,  though  humiliating  to  Spain,  placed  an 
embargo  on  any  further  action  on  her  part.  Even  after 
this,  there  were  unusual  conditions  attending  the 
transfer  of  the  province. 

As  already  stated,  Spain  had  sold  Louisiana  to 
France,  but  the  transfer  of  authority  had  not  yet  been 
made ,  and  the  whole  province  was  still  under  the  Span- 
ish crown.  In  this  exigency,  the  French  government 
gave  orders  that  both  transfers  of  authority  should 
take  place  at  New  Orleans  at  the  same  time,  so  as  to 
expedite  the  surrender  to  the  United  States  before 
England  could  intervene.  Accordingly,  on  November 
23,  1803,  at  a  conference  between  the  French  and  Span- 
ish officials  at  New  Orleans,  the  transfer  of  authority, 
in  form,  was  agreed  upon.  The  Spanish  troops  were 
drawn  up  in  solemn  lines,  and  in  presence  of  the  public, 
the  commissioners  representing  France  and  Spain  for- 
mally proclaimed  the  transfer.  The  Spanish  colors 
were  lowered,  and  the  French  colors  were  raised.  This 
French  authority  continued  only  twenty  days,  when 
their  colors  were  lowered,  and  the  stars  and  stripes 
took  their  place.  December  20,  1803,  the  American 
troops  marched  into  New  Orleans,  and  the  French  pre- 
fect sadly  announced : 

"In  conformity  with  the  treaty  I  put  the  United 
States  in  possession  of  Louisiana  and  its  dependencies. 
The  citizens  and  inhabitants  who  wish  to  remain  here 
and  obey  the  laws  are  from  this  moment  exonerated 
from  the  oath  of  fidelity  to  the  French  republic." 

The  last  hope  of  Spain  on  the  continent  of  North 
America  vanished.  France  was  satisfied,  because  she 
had  done  a  friendly  act  to  the  United  States  at  the  ex- 
pense of  England.  England  accepted  the  situation 
with  disguised  tranquillity. 


WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION. 
Geology  formed  the  land,  the  ocean,  the  seas  and 
the  lakes.  It  is  the  father  of  geography,  which  is  in 
turn,  the  father  of  history.  Rivers  have  the  same 
heritage,  physically,  but  the  stream  of  time  has  a 
sublimer  one.  A  higher  thought  cast  upon  it  is  immor- 
tal. Columbus  cast  a  thought  upon  this  stream,  and  a 
new  world  was  mirrored  before  the  old.  Our  nation 
confronts  it  to  day,  as  we  may  say,  with  a  single  bound 
over  the  four  centuries  that  intervene.  No  wonder 
that  this  nation  was  quickened  into  a  sense  of  venera- 
tion for  the  name  of  Columbus  when  the  fourth  century 
came  around  since  his  discovery,  without  which  it  could 
not  have  existed.  Instead  of  North  and  South  Amer- 
ica, the  western  continents,  in  justice  to  the  memory 
of  Columbus,  should  have  been  named  North  and 
South  Columbia.  Let  us  here  review  the  causes  and 
conditions  which  led  to  this  misnomer  : 

NAMING   AMERICA. 

During  the  reign  of  Henry  VII  of  England,  John 
Cabot,  an  Italian,  and  Sebastian,  his  son,  sailed  under 
direction  of  the  English  court  from  Bristol,  and  on  June 
24,  1497,  came  upon  a  coast  of  the  continent  of  North 
America,  between  56°  and  58°.  He  named  it  Prima 
Vista  (first  sight,  of  the  western  continent,  it  may  be 
inferred,  was  his  belief,  as  it  was  well  known  to  him 
that  Columbus  had  discovered  islands  in  the  western 
hemisphere).  The  above  date  precedes  that  of  Colum- 
bus' discovery  of  South  America,  and  whether  it  was 
an  island  or  a  continent  that  was  first  seen  is  a  matter 

(J8ti) 


World's  Columbian  Exposition.  387 

of  indifference,  as  to  the  merit  of  the  originality  in  the 
principle  involved. 

Cabot  did  not  stain  his  record  by  unjust  preten- 
sions, and  magnanimously  acknowledged  this  truth  by 
claiming  only  a  secondary  place  to  Columbus,  who,  as 
he  wrote,  '"''had  done  a  thing  more  divine  than  human, 
to  saile  by  the  west  into  the  easte  where  spices  grow,  by  a 
map  that  was  never  knowne  before.'1'1 

He  was  the  first  to  express  doubts  as  to  the  lands 
discovered  being  the  Asiatic  coast.  Others  might  have 
speculated  and  doubted,  but  all  the  theories  on  the  sub- 
ject, and  all  the  maps  published  previous  to  1515,  and 
many  later  than  that,  were  based  on  the  supposition 
that  the  newly  discovered  lands  belonged  to  the  Asian 
coast. 

Western  discoveries  had  four  classifications,  Quat- 
tuor  Navigationes.  Those  of  Columbus  consisted  of  the 
West  India  islands,  of  which  was  Cuba,  at  first  sup- 
posed to  be  a  part  of  the  Asian  coast,  and  the  northern 
coast  of  South  America. 

But  Americus  claimed  to  have  discovered  it  also, 
and  among  the  various  accounts  of  discovery,  real  and 
pretended,  at  that  time,  it  is  fair  to  assume  that  Amer- 
icus' discovery  of  this  coast,  or  at  least  his  report  of  it, 
was  regarded  by  many  as  original. 

The  discovery  of  Cabot,  far  to  the  north,  was 
called  the  second  division. 

That  of  Cortereal,  a  hardy  Portuguese  mariner,  made 
still  farther  to  the  north  in  1500,  in  which  he  discovered 
the  entrance  to  Hudson  Bay ;  and  supposed  it  to  be  an 
inlet  leading  to  Cathay,  China,  was  called  the  third 
division. 

The  fourth  division  was  the  discovery  of  Americus 
Vespucius,  on  the  South  American  coast,  just  alluded 
to,  which,  although  known  to  have  been  later  than  that  of 
Columbus  on  the  same  coast,  or,  as  some  historians 
aver,  was  not  made  at  all ;  nevertheless,  it  was  hon- 


388  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

ored  with  the  appellation  of  the  fourth  quarter  of  the 
New  World,  and  believed  to  be  genuine  by  many. 

Up  to  this  time  none  of  the  discoverers  had  given 
names  which  included  all  the  lands  they  had  visited, 
but  designations  of  them  had  been  descriptive. 

The  St.  Die  Pamphlet. — The  first  publication  to 
give  a  general  name  to  any  of  the  different  discoveries 
was  a  small  tract,  first  published  in  1507,  at  the  college  of 
St.  Die  in  Lorraine,  a  province  on  the  Rhine,  ceded  to 
Germany  by  France  in  1870.  It  was  a  work  on  geog- 
raphy, claiming  to  keep  up  with  the  rapid  accessions  to 
its  extended  field  in  those  days.  In  this  pamphlet  was 
the  first  published  account  of  the  voyages  of  Americus ; 
but  whether  it  appeared  in  the  first  edition  of  it,  or  in 
one  or  two  years  later,  is  a  question.  The  writer  pre- 
faces the  account  by  saying :  ' '  But  now  that  those 
parts  have  been  more  extensively  examined,  and  another 
fourth  part  has  been  discovered  by  Americus  (as  will  be 
seen  in  the  sequel],  1  do  not  see  why  ive  should  rightly 
refuse  to  name  it  America,  namely,  the  land  of  Americus 
or  America,  after  its  discoverer,  Americus,  a  man  of 
sagacious  mind.'1'' 

Here  was  the  fatal  spark  that  kindled  the  burning 
flame  of  injustice  to  the  memory  of  Columbus.  The 
very  obscurity  of  the  source  whence  it  came,  perhaps, 
was  what  prevented  a  protest  against  it  in  time  to  stop 
the  progress  of  its  stealthy  appearance  on  maps,  and 
the  use  of  it  until  too  late  to  make  a  change. 

Ptolemy"1  s  Geography. — Improvements  on  Ptolemy's 
geography,  especially  in  his  maps,  multiplied  at  this 
time. 

In  one  of  these,  by  Stobniza,  of  Cracow,  of  1512, 
•he  says  : 

"  And  lest  I  had  expended  labor  on  Ptolemy  alone,  I 
took  care  also  to  make  known  certain  parts  of  the  earth 
that  were  unknown  to  Ptolemy  himself,  and  to  other  of  the 
more  ancient  writers,  which,  by  the  wanderings  of  Ameri- 
cus Vespucius,  were  brought  to  our  notice.  Likewise 


World's  Columbian  Exposition.  389 

towards  the  west,  beyond  Africa  and  Europe,  is  a  great 
part  of  the  earth  which  they  call  America,  from  Americus, 
its  discoverer. ' ' 

AMERICA. 

Americus  claimed  to  have  made  four  voyages  to 
the  New  World,  and  there  is  abundant  evidence  that  he 
wrote  an  account  of  them,  and  sent  it  to  the  College  of 
St.  Die,  one  or  more  of  whose  professors  were  old  time 
friends  of  his.  That  this  college  should  feel  grateful 
for  such  a  contribution  to  their  pamphlet  from  the 
graphic  pen  of  Americus,  was  quite  natural,  and  it  is 
but  fair  to  suppose  that  the  professors  really  believed 
that  Americus  saw  terra  firma  before  Columbus,  his 
account  coming  first  in  his  claim,  as  to  his  four 
voyages. 

That  Columbus  saw  the  coast  before  he  did  has 
clearly  been  proven,  and  whosoever  else  was  ignorant 
of  this  fact  at  the  time,  Americus  could  not  have  been. 
But  this  false  claim  being  made  by  others  without  his 
protest,  is  the  limit  of  his  impeachment,  there  being  no 
proof  that  he  connived  at  placing  his  name  on  maps, 
nor  was  it  foreseen  by  any  one,  at  first,  that  the  whole 
of  these  new  discoveries  would  ultimately  be  designated 
by  one  general  name. 

Ferdinand,  the  son  of  Columbus,  who  was  always 
tenacious  in  the  defense  of  his  father's  reputation,  was 
aware  of  the  contents  of  the  St.  Die  pamphlet,  and  made 
no  objections  to  it,  although  Las  Casas,  whose  sense  of 
justice  was  always  keen,  wondered  that  he  did  not. 

That  Americus  had  ever  been  on  good  terms  with 
Columbus  (his  father),  is  to  be  presumed  by  their  cor- 
respondence, at  least  as  no  contravailing  evidence  has 
come  to  light. 

But  the  strangest  part  of  this  fatal  misnomer  is  yet 
to  be  told,  or  rather  speculated  upon,  which  is,  how  the 
name  thus  locally  applied  at  first,  and  even  as  such 
unjustly,  was  ultimately  made  to  cover  the  two  conti- 
nents of  the  western  world. 


390 


World's  Columbian  Exposition. 


The  name  America  first  appeared  on  Schoner's 
globe  of  1520,  fac-similes  of  which  have  been  repro- 
duced in  several  works  on  American  history.  The  North 
American  locality  of  this  map  is  a  conjectural  drawing-, 
and  named  Cuba,  which  shows  that  its  projector  was 


behind  the  record,  Cuba  having  been  sailed  around,  and 
proven  to  be  an  island  in  1508.     The  name  America 
appeared  on  several  other  maps  soon  afterward,  some 
of  whose  projectors  protested  against  this  injustice. 
The  name  of  Columbus  had  been  clouded  by  a  lack 


World's  Columbian  Exposition. 


391 


of  official   patronage.      He  had   died   in   comparative 
obscurity.     Americus  stood  high  in  popular  favor,  not 


\\  Rl C A 

t,      \  J 


MERCATOR'S  MAP. 


only  on  account  of  his  literary  associations,  but  of  his 
connection  with  a  commercial  house  in  Seville  of  great 


392  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

wealth  and  influence,  that  furnished  outfits  for  explor- 
ing- expeditions.  Under  these  time  serving-  influences  his 
name  received  a  momentum  that  sent  it  beyond  the 
limits  whence  justice  could  recall  it. 

In  1541,  the  first  globular  map  of  the  celebrated 
Mercator  came  out,  the  western  part  of  which  is  here- 
with produced.  It  was  the  first  radical  chang-e  from  the 
old  (but  grand  for  its  time)  system  of  Ptolemy.  On  his, 
Mercator's,  map,  the  name  America  appeared,  half  on 
North  and  the  balance  on  South  America. 

Mercator's  map  was  the  first  that  showed  the  two 
continents  connected  together  without  intervening 
inlets.  It  delineated  the  general  contour  of  both,  with 
a  reasonable  approximate  to  correctness. 

Ptolemy  was  one  of  the  greatest  of  all  geographers 
of  ancient  date.  He  was  born  at  Pelusium,  on  the 
Nile,  in  the  first  century.  His  name  would  indicate 
that  he  was  of  Macedonian  origin.  He  said:  "The  whole 
of  the  globe  which  the  earth  and  the  water  comprises  is 
divided  into  360  degrees. ' '  In  his  book  entitled  ' '  Great 
Construction,"  he  gave  the  position  of  1,022  fixed  stars, 
placing  the  earth  in  the  center  of  them.  His  system 
of  astronomy  was  the  accepted  one,  till  that  of  Coper- 
nicus had  substituted  it  in  the  sixteenth  century. 

The  four  centuries  since  Columbus'  discovery 
have  been  marked  with  evolutions  among  European 
nations,  both  painful  and  humiliating  for  them  to 
look  back  upon.  In-  vain  they  tried  to  transfer  their 
governments,  their  religion  and  their  social  status 
to  the  new  world,  but  only  one  of  them  has  been 
successful  in  doing  this,  and  she  only  in  proportion 
as  she  toned  down  and  hewed  off  the  tangent  points 
of  her  home  system  to  meet  the  requirements  of 
the  American  aim.  By  this  policy  she  retained 
British  America,  which  even  in  its  loyalty  to  Brit- 
ish rule  is,  nevertheless,  a  living  monument  of  ob- 
ligation to  the  United  States  for  having  taught  her  a 
lesson  on  the  rights  of  man,  which  has  been  the  guiding 


World's  Columbian  Exposition.  393 

star  of  England's  ship  of  state  over  the  great  ocean  of 
her  dominions  ever  since.  Her  ingenuousness  in  ac- 
knowledging this  not  only  fraternizes  the  two  nations, 
but  adds  force  and  power  to  each.  The  French  revo- 
lution of  1789  and  Napoleon's  career,  that  grew  out  of 
it,  were  directly  traceable  to  the  American  revolution, 
and  likewise  the  Mexican  revolution  of  1810  to  1821,  as 
well  as  the  exploits  of  Bolivar,  the  Washington  of 
South  America,  whose  genius  inspired  the  continent 
with  ambition  to  be  free  at  about  the  same  time.  If 
our  celebration  of  an  event  that  wrought  all  these 
changes  had  been  attempted  at  the  expiration  of  the 
third  century,  it  would  have  been  a  failure,  for  we 
were  then  in  childhood's  growing  pains,  an  unfledged 
eagle.  Chicago  was  an  unknown  wild,  and  where  else 
could  such  a  celebration  have  been  made  a  success  than 
at  this  metropolis,  in  the  pathway  of  western  empire, 
as  soon  as  the  schoolmaster  of  time  had  given  it  a  brief 
training  ?  Here  the  pioneer  spirit  lived  and  grew  till 
it  created  a  peerage  that  challenged  respect,  and  here 
an  unwritten  law  declared  that  the  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion should  be  located. 

This  law  was  our  voucher  for  success  from  the  be- 
ginning to  the  end,  and  Chicago  possessed  the  spirit 
of  this  law.  Her  very  existence  was  due  to  it,  and  the 
foundation  of  her  future  growth  was  allied  to  it,  con- 
jointly with  her  central  position.  The  great  issues  of 
national  policy,  sprung  upon  the  world  by  Columbus' 
discoveries,  had  been  practically  solved  by  an  object 
lesson  in  the  great  west.  The  hour  had  come  for  its 
celebration,  and  the  place  to  celebrate  it. 

Pending  the  discussion  that  newspapers  in  every 
section  of  the  country  took  part  in,  the  claims  of  Chi- 
cago, New  York,  St.  Louis  and  Washington  were  con- 
sidered by  their  respective  advocates.  But  while  these 
cities  were  considering,  Chicago  not  only  advocated 
her  claims  at  the  earliest  opening  of  the  issue,  but  was 
the  first  to  take  official  action  to  make  them  effective. 


394  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

The  credit  of  first  conceiving  the  project  of  the 
Columbian  Exposition  belongs  to  the  late  J.  W.  Scott, 
then  editor  of  the  Chicago  Herald,  who  submitted  his 
views  to  Mayor  Cregier.  They  called  in  E.  F.  Cragin, 
well  known  as  an  efficient  organizer,  and  sent  him  to 
Thomas  B.  Bryan  for  consultation  and  co-operation. 
This  consultation  in  Mr.  Bryan's  office  resulted  in  his 
drafting,  on  request,  the  resolutions  adopted  by  the 
citizens'  meeting,  August  1,  1889;  and,  as  an  initial 
step  to  the  great  undertaking,  these  resolutions  were 
telegraphed  throughout  the  United  States.  This  meet- 
ing was  held  in  pursuance  of  a  resolution  of  the  city 
council,  adopted  July  22,  the  preceding  month,  instruct- 
ing the  mayor,  De  Witt  C.  Cregier,  to  appoint  a 
citizens'  committee  of  100  (which  was  subsequently 
increased  to  the  number  of  250)  to  impress  upon  the 
public  mind  the  advantages  of  holding  the  Exposition 
in  Chicago,  and  present  to  the  country  Chicago's  supe- 
riority as  a  location  over  other  places  in  competition. 

At    that    meeting    an    executive   committee    was 
appointed,  consisting  of  the  following  persons : 

DeWitt  C.  Cregier,  Chairman. 

William  Penn  Nixon.  Samuel  W.  Allerton. 

Frank  Lawler.  George  M.  Pullman. 

Lambert  Tree.  Ferdinand  W.  Peck. 

Robert  W.  Patterson,  Jr.  Otto  Young. 

Andrew  McNally  Edwin  Walker. 

William  J.  Onahan.  Victor  F.  Lawson. 

John  B.  Carson.  Franklin  H.  Head. 

Joseph  W.  Fifer.  Edward  T.  Jeffery. 

John  Q.  Adams.  Edward  F.  Cullerton. 

Abner  Taylor.  Charles  B.  Farwell. 

J.  Irving-  Pearce.  Charles  H.  Schwab. 

Harlow  N.  Higinbotham.  Rollin  A.  Keyes. 

Robert  A.  Waller.  Leroy  D.  Thoman. 

Jesse  Spalding.  Frederick  S.  Winston. 

Samuel  S.  Gregory.  George  M.  Bogue. 

Richard  Prendergast.  Everitte  St.  John. 

Solomon  Thatcher,  Jr.  George  E.  Adams. 

Arthur  Dixon.  John  McGillen. 

Edward  F.  Cragin.  William  E.  Mason. 

Charles  L.  Hutchinson.  William  C.  Seipp. 

Lyman  J.  Gage.  Robert  Lindblom. 

John  R.  Walsh.  James  W.  Scott. 

George  R.  Davis.  George  O'Neill. 

William  D.  Kerfoot.  Marshall  M.  Kirkman. 

Shelby  M.  Cullom.  Joseph  Medill. 
Thomas  B.  Bryan. 


World's  Columbian  Exposition.  395 

The  first  step  taken  by  this  committee  was  to  form 
a  company  with  a  capital  of  $5,000,000,  divided  into 
500,000  shares  of  $10  each.  August  14,  1889,  commis- 
sioners were  authorized  by  the  secretary  of  the  state  of 
Illinois  to  take  subscriptions  to  the  stock  of  this  com- 
pany, which  was  officially  named  World's  Exposition  of 
1892.  De  Witt  C.  Cregier,  Ferdinand  W.  Peck,  George 
Schneider,  Anthony  F.  Seeberger,  William  C.  Seipp, 
John  R.  Walsh,  and  E.  Nelson  Blake  were  these  com- 
missioners. 

What  had  been  done  thus  far  was  only  planting 
the  seed,  to  be  cultivated  into  a  vigorous  growth 
sufficient  to  outrival  the  efforts  of  other  cities  contend- 
ing for  the  prize,  especially  New  York.  This  under- 
taking might  have  seemed  impossible  to  any  one  but  a 
Chicagoan,  whose  towering  ambition  soared  above  the 
impossible,  as  New  Yorkers  thought.  In  vain  they 
pleaded  that  foreign  visitors  would  hesitate  to  travel 
far  into  the  interior  to  visit  the  Exposition,  the  suc- 
cess of  which  would  be  doubtful  for  want  of  means. 

Chicago  answered  these  arguments  by  energetic 
measures  to  influence  public  sentiment  throughout  the 
middle  and  western  states  in  her  favor;  and  in  this 
labor  the  commercial  interests  of  these  states  worked 
in  alliance  with  such  a  hypothesis,  owing  to  her  central 
location.  Although  states  to  the  eastward  were  in 
favor  of  New  York,  yet,  after  a  careful  consensus  of 
public  opinion,  it  was  manifest  that  the  contest  was 
narrowed  down,  and  was  close  between  New  York  and 
Chicago. 

Four  cities  were  championed  before  a  large  com- 
mittee of  the  United  States  senate,  on  January  12, 
1890,  the  hall  and  corridor  crowded  with  congress- 
men and  citizens  to  hear  the  debate,  which  elicited 
intense  interest,  and  was  reported  in  the  press  of  the 
entire  country. 

New  York  was  represented  by  over  one  hundred  of 
her  chief  citizens,  men  of  greatest  political  prominence 


396  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

and  of  enormous  wealth,  counting  hundreds  of  millions 
of  dollars  of  individual  ownership.  Several  of  her 
famous  orators  advocated  her  claims,  chief  among 
them  being  Chauncey  M.  Depew.  Mayor  Cregier  in- 
troduced Thomas  B.  Bryan  and  E.  T.  Jeffery  as 
Chicago's  champions,  the  former  replying  directly  to 
the  argument  of  Mr.  Depew  at  the  same  session  of 
the  committee,  and  the  latter,  Mr.  Jeffery,  following 
with  an  admirable  presentation  of  pertinent  statistics. 
From  the  government's  publication  of  Mr.  Bryan's 
speech,  a  few  passages  are  here  given: 

"  The  proceedings  here  remind  me  of  an  anecdote 
that  is  told  of  a  southern  community  where  there  were 
two  colored  churches,  and  both  were  about  to  have  a 
fair — just  as  we  are  competing  for  a  fair — and  finally 
there  was  an  agreement  entered  into  between  the 
representatives  of  the  rival  churches  that  if  one  gave 
up  to  the  other  the  holding  of  the  fair  the  party 
releasing  its  claim  should  be  entitled  to  a  pew  in  their 
own  church,  to  be  cushioned  at  the  other's  expense. 
When  the  white  people  attended  their  baptisms  and 
weddings  they  wanted  to  provide  a  special  place  for 
their  entertainment,  and  one  pew  to  be  set  aside  was 
the  acme  of  their  ambition.  That  agreement  was 
cordially  entered  into  and  carried  out.  After  the  pew 
had  been  set  aside  and  the  congregation  had  assem- 
bled, the  colored  clergyman  ascended  the  pulpit  and 
said: 

"  'Bredren,  on  dis  occasion  dere  will  be  no  hymns, 
no  sermon,  but  de  whole  congregation  will  jine  me  in 
the  de  little  lines  I  has  wrote  for  dis  occasion  : 

Glory  hallelu-yoo; 
We's  got  de  pew — 
We's  got  de  pew.' 

"When  a  certain  Atlantic  steamer  arrived  at  its 
dock  in  New  York  recently,  that  great  city  joined— 
aye,  the  whole  of  Manhattan  island  joined  —  in  the 
grand  acclaim,  '  We  has  got  Depew;  we  has  got  Depew! ' 


World"1  s  Columbian  Exposition.  397 

"Up  to  that  instant  there  had  been  apathy,  and 
indifference  and  languor  and  inertia,  but  from  that  in- 
stant the  inspiration  came,  and  the  wonderful  assem- 
blage here  is  the  greatest  evidence  of  the  result.  But, 
sir,  carrying  out  the  analogy,  they  ought  to  give  us  the 
fair,  and  keep  Depew.  [Laughter.] 

"  The  selected  site  in  New  York  has  physical 
obstructions,  avenues  cut  through  it  in  all  directions. 
It  has  difficulties  of  unevenness.  It  requires  a  vast 
expenditure  of  money  to  purchase  and  tear  down  build- 
ings, and  it  requires  the  expenditure  of  a  vaster  sum 
to  blast  out  its  rocks. 

"It  needs  professional  dynamite  to  blow  up  the 
constitution  of  the  state,  to  occupy  the  site  legally  for 
an  exposition.  I  know  that  I  reflect  some  legal  minds 
of  New  York  city  when  I  say  this.  I  know  it  requires 
an  act  of  condemnation  to  occupy  some  of  that  land, 
and  by  the  right  of  eminent  domain  for  individual 
enterprises.  I  know  more,  that  one  gentleman  in  this 
room,  in  this  distinguished  body  from  New  York, 
followed  the  announcement  of  the  selection  of  that 
site  with  a  deliberate  and  true  report,  and  to  what 
effect  ?  That  it  was  utterly  unsuited ;  that  it  was, 
physically,  almost  an  impossibility  to  use  it  for  the 
purposes  indicated;  and  he  gave  figures  to  show  that 
throughout  the  entire  domain,  so  selected,  there  was 
not  room  enough  for  the  erection  of  a  machinery  hall 
of  adequate  proportions  and  capacity.  But  how  the 
blandishments  of  the  distinguished  orator  of  New  York 
could  change  the  physical  conditions  of  that  ground  is 
more  than  I  am  able  to  say.  The  New  York  Times  gave, 
at  length,  the  article  of  the  then  critic  of  the  site,  and 
pronounced  him  as  skilled  an  expert  in  real  estate 
matters  as  any  other  man  within  that  municipality. 

"Grounds  to  the  extent  of  one  or  two  or  six  or 
ten  hundred  acres,  on  our  broad  plains,  in  and  around 
Chicago  are  at  our  service.  There  is  not  a  house  to 


398  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

buy,  and  not  a  rock  to  blast.  Not  $1  of  rent  to  pay  out 
of  this  guarantee  fund.  Throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  this  land  there  can  be  found  no  city  of  ade- 
quate population  and  adequate  resources  that  can  pre- 
sent to  the  congress  of  the  United  States  such  plans 
and  such  adaptability  of  ground  to  the  purposes  of  the 
great  Exposition  as  can  Chicago.  [Applause.]  .  .  . 

"And  here  again  I  listened  with  intense  interest  to 
the  speech  on  that  subject  by  the  gentleman  who  ad- 
dressed you  in  reference  to  the  agricultural  advan- 
tages of  location  at  New  York,  led  by  that  distin- 
guished '  friend  of  the  grangers, '  of  whom  I  can 
only  say  Chicago  is  very  proud,  and-  whom  she  would 
have  been  willing  to  have  elected  to  preside  over  all 
the  granges  of  the  United  States. 

"  Now,  what  are  the  facts  in  regard  to  the  farmer  ? 
It  was  my  privilege  a  short  time  ago,  as  delegate  to 
the  St.  Joseph  convention,  to  talk  among  the  farmers 
of  the  west.  They  had  assembled  there  from  several 
states.  What  did  they  say  ?  I  will  tell  you  what 
they  said:  '  We  have  been  treated  most  abominably 
at  every  great  fair  held  in  this  country. ' 

"  And  I  would  like  to  ask  that  gentleman  how  long 
has  it  been  since  there  has  been  an  agricultural  exposi- 
tion in  New  York  ?  Some  gentleman  said,  'Two  cen- 
turies and  a  half  ago,'  but  that  is  beyond  my  time. 
That  wonderful  agricultural  state  (New  York)  has  per- 
mitted centuries  to  pass  without  a  single  suitable  rep- 
resentation of  that  interest.  Does  Chicago  act  likewise  ? 
Chicago  and  St.  Louis  circles  were  handled  delicately 
by  Mr.  Depew  this  morning.  He  has  a  very  happy 
faculty  of  insinuating  and  driving  in  the  needle  so  dex- 
terously that  no  man  complains,  but  it  stings  just  the 
same.  [Laughter.]  I  saw  a  smile  playing  on  his  coun- 
tenance as  he  drove  in  his  points.  I  know  he  is  very 
adroit  in  handling  these  matters. 

"Mental  adroitness  sporting  over  disjointed  facts 
and  fallacies  reminds  me  of  the  squirrel  sporting  over  the 


World's  Columbian  Exposition.  399 

top  of  a  ramshackle  fence;  the  agility  we  admire,  but  not 
the  fence. 

"  What  is  the  truth  ?  The  farmers  of  this  country 
overwhelmingly  want  Chicago,  and  I  speak  advisedly, 
for  I  have  watched  the  agricultural  journals  of  the  coun- 
try on  that  subject,  and  they  want  the  fair  at  Chicago; 
and  why  ?  Simply  because  in  the  magnificence  of 
New  York's  appropriation  for  the  agricultural  exhibit, 
as  I  had  occasion  lately  to  say,  they  devote  to  it  ten 
acres,  and  any  strong,  spirited,  high  mettled  animal  of 
the  west  would  paw  the  earth  and  snort  his  contempt 
for  such  a  pitiful  appropriation. 

"  Ten  acres  for  this  magnificent  agricultural  site  ! 
What  for  ?  New  York  ?  No!  What  for  ?  For  the 
vast  domain  of  America  ?  Oh,  yes;  South  America  and 
Mexico  as  well.  Ten  acres  !  ! 

"Answering  this  suggestion  for  making  ample  pro- 
vision for  the  most  extensive  farm  and  stock  exhibits, 
the  New  York  official  circular  of  the  world's  fair  com- 
mittee attempts  to  turn  it  into  ridicule.  Chicago,  while 
projecting  an  exposition  on  the  grandest  scale  possible 
for  this  country,  embracing  the  fine  arts  and  the  most 
delicate  products  in  every  department  of  human  skill, 
is  not  unmindful  of  the  most  ancient  and  the  most  use- 
ful of  all  the  vocations  of  man.  Nor  does  she  propose 
to  stint  such  rural  exhibitors,  as  at  the  New  York  ex- 
hibition of  1851,  and,  indeed,  at  all  exhibitions  hitherto; 
but,  on  the  contrary ,  offers  hundreds  of  acres  for  those 
exhibits  alone.  Doubtless  there  may  be  some  dainty 
souls  who  dread  to  encounter  '  country  bumpkins  and 
mammoth  pumpkins,'  and  yet  who  are  partial  only  to 
live  stock  such  as  snub-nosed  pugs,  with  ribboned  necks 
and  heads  pillowed  in  their  masters'  laps  in  frescoed 
chambers. 

"  But  the  people  prefer  to  see  the  live  stock  such  as 
Webster  loved,  and  Clay  loved,  and  Grant  loved;  su- 
perb horses,  with  arched  necks,  flashing  eyes  and  fault- 
less forms,  sniffing  the  morning  air  and  neighing,  as  if 


400  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

in  consciousness  of  nobility  of  blood,  and  flying  like 
the  wind  over  broad  fields  under  the  canopy  of  heaven. 

"And  yet,  even  he  (Webster)  as  well  as  ninety-nine 
hundredths  of  plain,  sensible  people  of  this  country, 
came  within  the  scathing  of  the  New  York  World's 
committee,  for  he  was  wont,  to  my  certain  knowledge, 
'  to  sit  upon  his  front  steps, '  and  the  Healy  portrait 
shows  his  wife1'  opening  the  door  for  him.' 

'  He  knew  whose  gentle  hand  was  at  the  latch 
Before  the  door  had  given  her  to  his  eyes.' 

'  'As  I  passed  a  moment  since  through  yon  Supreme 
court  room,  the  bust  of  John  Marshall  recalled  the  his- 
toric fact  that  he  was  noted  for  'primitive  simplicity.7 
He,  doubtless,  sat  on  his  front  steps;  and  then  sat  on 
the  bench  of  that  great  tribunal,  first  made  illustrious 
by  his  unerring  and  luminous  decisions. 

"Who  of  us  does  not  recall  the  misgivings  expressed 
as  to  Grant's  rapid  promotion  because  he  had  once 
'  driven  his  own  wood  cart  in  the  west? '  Granted, 
and  he  mounted  a  chariot  of  glory  worthy  of  a  Cassar. 
He  commanded  the  mightiest  host  that  ever  trod  the 
earth;  and  still  more,  he  commanded  himself.  When 
roaming  over  the  world  as  a  private  citizen,  he  pre- 
served his  imperturbable  self-possession,  and  received 
in  quiet  dignity  the  willing  homage  of  the  peoples  and 
potentates  of  the  earth. 

"And  yet  another  son  of  the  west  occasioned  doubt ; 
for  I  well  remember  the  gloom  of  the  New  Yorkers  in 
the  Chicago  wigwam  at  the  defeat  there  of  their  can- 
didate by  'a  western  backwoods  lawyer,'  Abraham 
Lincoln.  He,  too,  had  'large  hands  and  large  feet/ 
but  also  a  large  heart  and  a  large  brain,  whence  issued 
words  of  surpassing  eloquence,  of  tender  pathos,  of 
patriotic  warning,  that  rank  among  the  sublimest  of  all 
human  utterances.  Having  emancipated  a  race,  and 
saved  the  Union,  he  fell  a  martyr  to  liberty,  and  went 
among  the  stars.  .  .  . 


World's  Columbian  Exposition.  401 

' '  Mr.  Depew  admits  that  whatever  else  New  York 
has,  she  has  not  civic  pride.  And  precisely  her  want, 
and  Chicago's  possession  in  an  eminent  degree,  of  that 
citizen  virtue  emphasizes  the  merits  of  the  latter's 
candidacy  for  the  fair,  and  furnishes  an  assurance,  if 
in  her  charge,  of  its  magnificent  success.  When  listen- 
ing to  him  just  now,  and  realizing  that  when  he  opens 
his  mouth  he  opens  a  casket  rich  in  jewels  of  rhetoric 
.and  wit,  it  occurred  tome  that  if  the  blocks  of  wit  quar- 
ried from  his  brain  could  be  converted  into  blocks  of 
marble,  the  feet  of  New  York's  Goddess  of  Liberty 
would  not  have  so  long  wearied  for  the  want  of  a  ped- 
estal, nor  her  eyes  so  long  strained  for  a  glimpse  of  the 
Memorial  Arch  and  the  Grant  Monument. ' ' 

While  this  decision  of  congress  was  pending,  a 
million  ambitious  spirits  held  their  breath.  George 
R.  Davis  and  Edwin  Walker,  with  other  distinguished 
Chicagoans,  remained  in  active  charge  of.  the  cam- 
paign. Under  these  influences  congress  gave  a  verdict 
in  favor  of  Chicago;  which  act  was  approved  by  the 
president  of  the  United  States  April  25,  1890,  entitled, 
"An  act  providing  for  celebrating  the  four  hundredth 
anniversary  of  the  discovery  of  America  by  Chris- 
topher Columbus,  by  holding  an  international  exhibi- 
tion of  arts,  industries,  manufactures  and  the  products 
of  the  soil,  mine  and  sea,  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  in 
the  state  of  Illinois." 

It  grew  to  be  a  landmark  in  Chicago's  growth. 
The  whole  city  became  a  beehive  of  industry, — strange 
faces  and  costumes  appeared  in  our  streets.  Archi- 
tects, contractors  and  decorators  multiplied,  and 
speculation  was  at  flood  tide.  A  single  voice  seemed 
to  inspire  everybody.  The  Exposition  must  excel 
any  ever  tried  before,  was  the  motto.  The  pioneer 
spirit  was  aroused,  and  pride  was  stimulated.  Eastern 
conservatism  had  called  us  upstarts;  now  was  a  chance 
for  recoil.  But  with  all  this  excitement  prudence 
took  the  reins,  and  able  men  gave  direction  to  the 


402  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

enthusiasm  of  the  forces  at  their  disposal.  Otto 
Young,  D.  K.  Hill,  and  others  too  numerous  to  name, 
had  pushed  the  work  of  personal  subscriptions  to  aid 
the  cause,  till  over  28,000  persons  had  taken  shares 
in  the  enterprise,  in  sums  varying  from  $10  to  $100,000 
each.  The  corporation  that  had  been  formed,  just 
before  the  favorable  decision  of  congress,  was  com- 
posed of  nearly  30,000  stockholders,  small  and  large, 
as  subscribers  to  its  capital  stock.  A  call  for  the 
meeting  of  them  at  Battery  D,  on  the  lake  front,  was 
made  April  10,  1890.  Mayor  Cregier  was  chosen  chair- 
man, and  James  W.  Scott  secretary.  To  complete 
this  organization,  a  board  of  forty-five  directors  was 
chosen,  consisting  of  the  following  persons: 

Owen  F.  Aldis.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick. 
Samuel  W.  Allerton.                    «      Andrew  McNally. 

William  T.  Baker.  Joseph  Medill. 

Thomas  B.  Bryan.  Adolph  Nathan. 

Edward  B.  Butler.  Robert  Nelson. 

William  H.  Colvin.  John  J.  P.  Odell. 

Mark  L.  Crawford.  Potter  Palmer. 

DeWitt  C.  Cregier.  J.  C.  Peasley. 

George  R.  Davis.  Ferdinand  W.  Peck. 

James  W.  Ellsworth.  Erskine  M.  Phelps. 

John  V.  Farwell,  Jr.  Eugene  S.  Pike. 

Stuyvesant  Fish.  Martin  A.  Ryerson. 

Lyman  J.  Gage.  Anthony  F.  Seeberger. 

Harlow  N.  Higinbotham.  Charles  H.  Schwab. 

Charles  L.  Hutchinson.  William  E.  Strong. 

Edward  T.  Jeffery.  Charles  H.  Wacker. 

Elbridge  G.  Keith.  Edwin  Walker. 

Rollin  A.  Keyes.  Robert  A.  Waller. 

Herman  H.  Kohlsaat.  John  R.  Walsh. 

Marshall  M.  Kirkman.  Charles  C.  Wheeler. 

Edward  F.  Lawrence.  Frederick  S.  Winston. 

Thies  J.  Lefens.  Charles  T.  Yerkes. 
Otto  Young. 

Two  days  later,  April  12,  this  board  met  at  the 
Sherman  house,  of  which  Edwin  Walker  was  chosen 
chairman.  At  this  meeting  committees  on  finance  and 
by-laws  were  appointed,  and  at  a  meeting  of  the  same 
board,  on  the  30th  following,  Lyman  J.  Gage  was 
chosen  president,  Thomas  B.  Bryan,  first  vice-presi- 
dent, and  Potter  Palmer,  second  vice-president.  On 
May  6,  following,  the  board  elected  William  J.  Acker- 
man,  auditor,  and  Anthony  F.  Seeberger,  treasurer. 


World's  Columbian  Exposition.  403 

The  secretary's  office  was  only  temporarily  filled,  until 
July  11,  when  Benjamin  Butterworth  was  elected.  Mr. 
Gage,  the  president,  appointed  committees  as  follows: 

COMMITTEE  ON  FINANCE. 

Ferdinand  W.  Peck,  Chairman. 
Elbridg-e  G.  Keith.  John  R.  Walsh. 

John  J.  P.  Odell.  Otto  Young. 

COMMITTEE  ON  GROUNDS  AND  BUILDINGS. 

DeWitt  C.  Cregier,  Chairman. 
Owen  F.  Aldis.  Potter  Palmer. 

George  R.  Davis.  Eugene  S.  Pike. 

Joseph  Medill.  Charles  H.  Schwab. 

COMMITTEE  ON  LEGISLATION. 

Edwin  Walker,  Chairman. 

William  T.  Baker.  George  R.  Davis. 

William  H.  Colvin.  Frederick  S.  Winston. 

COMMITTEE  ON  NATIONAL  AND  STATE  EXHIBITS. 

Erskine  M.  Phelps,  Chairman. 

Samuel  W.  Allerton.  Edward  T.  Jeffery. 

John  V.  Farwell,  Jr.  Anthony  F.  Seeberger. 

COMMITTEE  ON  FOREIGN  EXHIBITS. 

William  T.  Baker,  Chairman. 

James  W.  Ellsworth.  Thies  J.  Lefens. 

Harlow  N.  Higinbotham.  Martin  A.  Ryerson. 

COMMITTEE  ON  CATALOGUE  AND  PRINTING. 

Rollin  A.  Keyes,  Chairman. 

Mark  L.  Crawford.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick. 

Herman  H.  Kohlsaat.  Andrew  McNally. 

COMMITTEE  ON  TRANSPORTATION. 

Stuyvesant  Fish,  Chairman. 

Marshall  M.  Kirkman.  William  E.  Strong. 

J.  C.  Peasley.  Charles  C.  Wheeler. 

COMMITTEE  ON  FINE  ARTS. 

Charles  L.  Hutchinson,  Chairman. 
James  W.  Ellsworth.  Robert  A.  Waller. 

Potter  Palmer.  Charles  T.  Yerkes. 

COMMITTEE  ON  MACHINERY  AND  ELECTRICAL  APPLIANCES. 

Adolph  Nathan,  Chairman. 

Edward  B.  Butler.  Robert  Nelson. 

DeWitt  C.  Cregier.  Charles  H.  Wacker. 

COMMITTEE  ON  WAYS  AND  MEANS. 

Otto  Young,  Chairman. 

Edward  B.  Butler.  Edward  F.  Lawrence. 

William  H.  Colvin.  Cyrus  H.  McCormick. 

Stuyvesant  Fish.  Andrew  McNally. 

Harlow  N.  Higinbotham.  Adolph  Nathan. 

Rollin  A.  Keyes.  Charles  H.  Wacker. 

Herman  H.  Kohlsaat.  Robert  A.  Waller. 

The  stockholders  of  the  Exposition  held  a  special 
meeting  June  12,  1890,  and  changed  its  name  from 
"World's  Exposition  of  1892"  to  "World's  Columbian 
Exposition."  This  was  done  to  conform  to  the  act 


404  World'1 8  Columbian  Exposition. 

of  congress,  authorizing  the  Exposition  to  be  held  in 
1893.  At  the  same  meeting  the  capital  stock  was 
increased  from  $5,000,000  to  $10,000,000.  These  com- 
mittees were  elected  to  superintend  the  various  depart- 
ments of  which  the  Exposition  was  to  consist.  An 
act  of  congress  provided  that  the  time  and  place  of 
holding  the  Exposition  should  be  determined  before  the 
Executive  should  issue  an  invitation  to  foreign  nations 
to  participate  therein;  and  that  notice  should  be  given 
him  that  the  World's  Columbian  commission  had  pro- 
vided grounds  and  buildings  for  its  use,  and  also  that 
$10,000,000  had  been  subscribed  to  be  expended  for 
its  purposes. 

It  was  necessary  to  settle  this  matter  promptly, 
but,  to  the  disappointment  of  the  friends  of  the  Expo- 
sition, a  controversy  sprang  up  as  to  where  it  should 
be  located,  owing  to  a  rivalry  of  interests  between  real 
estate  owners  of  the  vacant  lands  around  Washington 
and  Jackson  parks,  and  the  owners  of  property  in  the 
heart  of  the  city.  The  former  interest  won  the  victory, 
and  the  entire  South  Park  system  was  handed  over  to 
the  Exposition  company,  but  not  without  various  legal 
difficulties  to  be  settled,  in  order  to  modify  the  original 
chartered  rights  accompanying  the  grant  of  the  parks 
for  free  public  use.  The  delay  occasioned  by  this  issue 
at  one  time  assumed  a  serious  aspect,  lest  it  should  not 
be  settled  in  time  to  make  preparation  for  the  erection 
of  the  buildings  for  the  large  number  of  departments 
of  the  Exposition;  but  when  it  was  settled  both  rival 
interests  harmonized  together  and  worked  for  the  best 
good  of  the  Exposition.  It  was  now  imperative  that 
the  committee  on  grounds  and  buildings  should  act 
promptly,  and  in  order  to  facilitate,  as  well  as  hasten 
the  completion  of  their  labors,  the  board  of  directors 
created  a  construction  department,  of  which  Daniel  H. 
Burnham  was  chief,  John  W.  Root  became  architect, 
Abram  Gotlieb  engineer,  and  Olmsted  &  Co.  landscape 
architects.  The  designs  of  the  buildings  were  the  next 


World's  Columbian  Exposition.  405 

thing's  to  be  improvised.  To  insure  this  important 
requisition  in  a  style  in  keeping  with  the  high  standard 
on  which  the  Exposition  was  based,  a  board  of  consult- 
ing1 architects  was  selected  from  leading  men  in  that 
profession.  This  board  entered  upon  their  work  with 
commendable  zeal.  Foreign  talent  was  also  enlisted 
in  the  work  from  New  York,  Boston  and  other  places. 
The  estimated  cost  of  all  these  buildings,  including  the 
preparation  of  the  grounds,  to  May,  1893,  was  $16,075,- 
453.  This  estimate  was  made  with  great  care,  and 
could  not  be  minimized,  therefore  the  only  thing  to  be 
done  was  to  hew  to  this  line;  and  it  must  be  confessed 
that  the  various  committees,  who  had  taken  such  im- 
mense responsibilities  upon  themselves,  had  made  a 
heavy  draft  upon  the  enthusiasm  of  the  public,  as  well 
as  the  financial  element  that  was  to  pay  the  bills.  But 
any  misgiving  or  wavering  on  their  part  would  whelm 
the  whole  fabric  in  ruin.  Fortunately  no  such  signs 
were  shown.  The  dredging  and  filling,  which  must 
precede  the  building,  was  begun  February  11,  1891,  and 
continued  without  intermission  till  the  "White  City," 
as  the  whole  when  finished  was  called,  was  completed, 
but  not  without  many  changes,  modifications  and  dilem- 
mas frequently  coming  to  the  surface  as  the  laborious 
months  and  years  rolled  on  to  the  limit  of  preparation. 
During  this  period  of  uncertainty  the  counsels  of 
Henry  B.  Stone,  Lyman  J.  Gage  and  others  were  of 
essential  service,  not  to  say  indispensable,  to  the  suc- 
cessful solution  of  the  troubles  that  beset  the  path  of 
progress  of  the  work  before  them.  August  18,  1892, 
a  council  of  administration  was  created  to  meet  new 
exigencies  that  came  up  as  the  completion  of  the  build- 
ings was  near  at  hand,  when  the  practical  work  of  the 
Exposition  had  to  be  planned  out.  All  that  had  been 
done  up  to  this  time  would  have  been  a  waste  of  money 
and  labor  without  executive  action  from  the  president 
of  the  United  States.  By  act  of  congress,  as  already 
stated,  he  could  not  invite  foreign  nations  to  participate 


406  World' }s  Columbian  Exposition. 

in  the  Exposition  till  $10,000,000  had  been  raised,  and 
plans  and  specifications  of  the  building's  had  been  ap- 
proved; to  meet  which  conditions  $5,000,000  more  must 
be  raised.  Although  the  state  of  Illinois  had,  by  consti- 
tutional change,  made  it  legal  for  the  city  of  Chicago  to 
bond  the  city  for  $5,000,000  to  the  stock  company  of  the 
Exposition,  $6, 000, 000  or  $7,000,000  more  were  necessary 
to  pay  for  work  already  contracted  for,  leaving  still  a 
deficit.  Many  ways  were  now  considered  for  raising 
more  money,  none  of  which  seemed  possible,  until  a 
souvenir  coin  was  thought  of.  This  last  expedient  was 
submitted  to  congress,  which  body,  after  much  hesi- 
tating, finally  voted  a  sum  of  $2,500,000  in  silver  half- 
dollars,  with  an  emblematic  design,  so  as  to  enhance 
their  value  as  a  memorial  heirloom  of  the  Exposition, 
the  price  of  which  was  fixed  at  $1  each:  and  from  their 
sale  the  company  expected  to  realize  $5,000,000  as  soon 
as  they  could  be  sold  after  being  issued  from  the  mint. 
In  addition  to  this  measure,  $5,000,000  in  6  per  cent 
debenture  bonds  were  thrown  on  the  market,  made 
payable  by  the  Exposition  company,  at  their  option, 
after  May  1,  1893,  but  not  later  than  January,  1894. 

Neither  of  these  two  plans  had  entirely  fulfilled 
the  expectation  of  the  company,  in  the  amount  of  ready 
money  required,  till  extra  efforts  had  been  made  to  get 
the  banks  and  railroad  companies  to  raise  more  funds. 
James  W.  Ellsworth  now  ably  advocated  this  measure 
to  the  various  railroad  companies,  and  sold  them  bonds 
to  the  amount  of  $850,000.  Several  banks  of  Chicago 
also  advanced  money  to  the  Exposition  company, 
taking  the  souvenir  coins  that  still  remained  unsold  as 
collateral  security.  Neither  the  banks  nor  the  rail- 
road companies  would  have  invested  with  such  doubt- 
ful collaterals,  had  not  the  necessities  of  the  case 
demanded  the  venture,  in  order  to  make  a  success  of 
the  Exposition.  They  did  it  while  its  fate  trembled  in 
a  balance  between  hopeless  despair  and  unparalleled 
grandeur. 


World's  Columbian  Exposition.  407 

At  an  annual  meeting  of  the  stockholders  of  the 
company  on  the  date  fixed  by  the  by-laws,  first  Satur- 
day in  April,  1891,  the  following'  additions  were  made 
to  the  board  of  directors :  C.  K.  G.  Billings,  Isaac  N. 
Camp,  William  J.  Chalmers,  Robert  C.  Clowry,  George 
B.  Harris,  Egbert  Jamison,  William  D.  Kerfoot,  Milton 
W.  Kirk,  William  P.  Ketcham,  Alexander  H.  Revell, 
Edward  R.  Ripley,  A.  M.  Rothschild,  George  W.  Saul, 
George  Schneider,  James  W.  Scott,  Bernard  E.  Sunny, 
Hempstead  Washburne  (mayor),  John  C.  Welling.  An 
equal  number  of  the  original  board  retiring,  Lyman  J. 
Gage  resigned  the  presidency,  William  J.  Baker  being 
elected  to  succeed  him.  Mr.  Gage  had  first  accepted 
the  presidency  of  the  Exposition,  out  of  a  willingness 
on  his  part  to  make  personal  sacrifices  for  its  good. 
The  time  had  now  come  when  its  success  was  assured, 
and  he  resigned,  owing  to  the  pressure  upon  his  time, 
of  other  duties.  His  administration  was  one  of  the 
highest  efficiency,  ascribable  in  a  great  measure  to  his 
signal  ability.  Mr.  Baker,  his  successor,  now  appointed 
the  following  committees : 

COMMITTEE  ON  FINANCE. 

Ferdinand  W.  Peck,  Chairman. 

Lyman  J.  Gage.  Elbridge  G.  Keith. 

Harlow  N.  Higinbotham.  John  J.  P.  Odell. 

COMMITTEE  ON  GROUNDS  AND  BUILDINGS. 

Edward  T.  Jeffery,  Chairman. 

Lyman  J.  Gage.  George  W.  Saul. 

William  P.  Ketcham.  Charles  H.  Schwab. 

Edward  F.  Lawrence.  Robert  A.  Waller. 

COMMITTEE  ON  LEGISLATION. 

Edwin  Walker,  Chairman. 

Egbert  Jamieson.  Erskine  M.  Phelps. 

Ferdinand  W.  Peck.  Frederick  S.  Winston. 

COMMITTEE  ON  AGRICULTURE. 
William  D.  Kerfoot,  Chairman. 

Isaac  N.  Camp.  Edward  £.  Lawrence. 

William  P.  Ketcham.  Thies  J.  Lefens. 

COMMITTEE  ON  MINES,  MINING,  FORESTRY  AND  FISH. 

Charles  H.  Schwab,  Chairman. 

William  J.  Chalmers.  Bernard  E.  Sunny. 

Robert  Nelson.  John  C.  Welling. 

COMMITTEE  ON  PRESS  AND  PRINTING. 

James  W.  Scott,  Chairman. 

Edward  B.  Butler.  Alexander  H.  Revell. 

Milton  W.  Kirk.  George  Schneider. 


408  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

COMMITTEE  ON  TRANSPORTATION. 

Marshall  M.  Kirkman,  Chairman. 
George  B.  Harris.  George  W.  Saul. 

Edward  P.  Ripley.  John  C.  Welling. 

COMMITTEE  ON  FINE  ARTS. 

Charles  L.  Hutchinson,  Chairman. 

James  W.  Ellsworth.  Martin  A.  Rverson. 

Potter  Palmer.  Charles  T.  Yerkes. 

COMMITTEE  ON  LIBERAL  ARTS. 

Robert  A.  Waller,  Chairman. 

Isaac  N.  Camp.  Egbert  Jamieson. 

Charles  L.  Hutchinson.  Alexander  H.  Revell. 

COMMITTEE  ON  MACHINERY  AND  ELECTRICAL  APPLIANCES. 

Robert  C.  Clowry,  Chairman. 

C.  K.  G.  Billings.  Bernard  E.  Sunny. 

Robert  Nelson.  Charles  H.  Wacker. 

COMMITTEE  ON  MANUFACTURES. 

Harlow  N.  Higinbotham,  Chairman. 
Adolph  Nathan.  Erskine  M.  Phelps. 

Elbridge  G.  Keith.  A.  M.  Rothschild. 

COMMITTEE  ON  FOREIGN  EXHIBITS. 

Martin  A.  Ryerson,  Chairman. 

James  W.  Ellsworth.  Herman  H.  Kohlsaat. 

Harlow  N.  Higinbotham.  Thies  J.  Lef ens. 

COMMITTEE  ON  WAYS  AND  MEANS. 

Lyman  J.  Gage,  Chairman. 

Edward  B.  Butler.  Edward  F.  Lawrence. 

William  J.  Chalmers.  Adolph  Nathan. 

Harlow  N.  Higinbotham.  Edward  P.  Ripley. 

William  D.  Kerfoot.  George  Schneider. 

Milton  W.  Kirk.  Charles  H.  Wacker. 

Herman  H.  Kohlsaat.  Robert  A.  Waller. 

Notwithstanding  all  these  preparations,  and  the 
large  sums  invested  in  them,  Chicago,  on  the  extreme 
western  verge  of  political  as  well  as  commercial  forces, 
had  been  regarded  by  the  eastern  world  as  a  doubtful 
aspirant  for  the  honors  that  had  decorated  the  brows 
of  London,  Paris  and  Vienna,  when  even  New  York 
and  Philadelphia  had  been  patronized  by  Europe  with 
but  a  frugal  hand.  Owing  to  this  want  of  confidence 
in  our  virgin  attempts  to  honor  the  occasion  with  regal 
dignity,  jurisprudence  must  be  thrown  into  the  scale,  a 
mantle  of  honor  must  depend  from  men  bred  in  busi- 
ness, but  not  without  the  native  culture  and  qualifica- 
tions that  have  never  been  found  wanting  when  a  test 
came  which  was  vital  to  the  honor  of  Americans.  To 
this  end  a  commission  was  appointed  to  visit  northern 
Europe,  consisting  of  the  following  persons: 


Woi'ld's  Columbian  Exposition.  409 

William  Lindsay,  a  member  of  the  commission 
from  Kentucky,  and  afterward  United  States  senator 
from  that  state;  A.  G.  Bullock,  member  of  the  com- 
mission from  Massachusetts;  Ferdinand  W.  Peck, 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  finance  of  the  board  of 
directors;  Moses  P.  Handy,  chief  of  the  department  of 
publicity  and  promotion;  and  Benjamin  Butterworth, 
secretary  and  solicitor  general  of  the  World's  Colum- 
bian Exposition,  who  was  unanimously  chosen  by  his 
colleagues,  president  of  the  commission. 

In  July,  1891,  they  sailed,  and  visited  the  principal 
governments  on  the  Continent,  not  omitting  many  com- 
mercial companies.  On  account  of  the  official  action 
which  the  United  States  government  had  already  taken 
abroad,  for  the  same  purpose,  together  with  the  earnest 
enthusiasm  of  the  commissioners,  tempered  with  can- 
dor, a  general  friendliness  to  our  cause  was  secured, 
and  liberal  contributions  of  material,  in  the  way  of 
manufactures,  curiosities,  sculpture,  paintings  and  all 
the  wealth  of  art  with  which  the  old  world  was  en- 
dowed, were  promised.  These  treasures  came  to  Chi- 
cago in  greater  profusion  than  had  hitherto  been  known 
to  be  exhibited  at  any  World's  Fair  preceding  it.  Here 
it  may  not  be  improper  to  say  that  the  press  of  Europe 
was  enjoying  a  relief  from  war's  alarms;  "balance  of 
power"  problems  and  hostile  speculations  as  to  polit- 
ical possibilities  took  a  back  seat,  while  the  arts  of 
peace  came  to  the  front;  and  he  who  would  do  anything 
to  substitute  "  war's  wrinkled  front"  for  them  would 
be  set  down  as  an  enemy  to  mankind  by  those  inter- 
ested in  the  work  now  in  preparation  for  the  fraternal 
jubilee  at  Chicago. 

Southern  Europe  had  not  yet  been  visited,  and  to 
occupy  this  field  in  behalf  of  the  ends  and  aims  of  the 
Chicago  enterprise  Thomas  B.  Bryan  and  Harlow  N. 
Higinbotham  were  selected.  Mr.  Higinbotham,  when 
alone  in  London,  held  an  interview  with  the  lord 
mayor,  and  was  tendered  a  banquet  at  the  Mansion 


410  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

House,  and  addressed  a  meeting1  of  the  Society  of  Arts 
at  that  great  metropolis.  Arriving"  at  Rome,  the  commis- 
sioners secured  audiences  with  the  Premier,  Rampolla, 
and  with  King  Humbert  himself,  besides  many  other 
persons  of  note,  who  were  addressed  in  French  by 
Thomas  B.  Bryan  (that  language  being  best  understood 
by  them),  all  of  whom  manifested  a  friendly  interest  in 
the  cause  advocated  by  these  able  exponents  of  Amer- 
ican progress;  for  this  was  the  real  key  note  to  the  ques- 
tion at  issue,  and  these  advocates  were  qualified  to  rep- 
resent it.  In  order  to  finish  the  work  so  auspiciously 
begun,  the  commissioners  visited  Florence,  Naples  and 
Palermo  (where  an  exposition  had  just  been  opened  by 
King  Humbert),  at  which  places  success  attended  their 
efforts;  but  Mr.  Higinbotham  then  returned  to  Chicago 
before  all  their  work  could  be  finished,  leaving  to  Mr. 
Bryan  the  mission  to  the  pope.  Few  persons,  if  any, 
could  have  been  chosen  so  well  qualified  to  execute 
this  delicate  business.  The  Chesterfieldian  suavity  of 
Mr.  Bryan  reached  the  inner  temple  of  his  Holiness, 
and  he  obtained  an  autograph  letter  from  the  pope, 
which  was  translated  and  published  in  many  languages 
throughout  Europe,  as  a  pontifical  indorsement  of 
the  Exposition.  Mrs.  Bryan,  who  accompanied  her 
husband  to  Europe,  was  granted  an  audience  by  Queen 
Margherita,  and  this  pleasant  interview  was  rewarded 
by  the  contribution  to  the  Exposition  of  Queen  Mar- 
gherita's  remarkable  collection  of  old  laces. 

On  the  return  of  Mr.  Higinbotham  from  Europe, 
February,  1892,  he  was  elected  vice-president. 

Mr.  Bryan  was  appointed  commissioner  at  large, 
and  visited  other  European  courts. 

The  labors  of  the  directors  had  greatly  increased, 
in  responsibility,  and  it  became  necessary  to  organize 
various  committees,  to  make  arrangements  and  plans 
in  detail,  for  the  dedication  of  the  Exposition,  to  be 
held  in  October,  1892,  and  for  its  opening,  in  1893. 


World's  Columbian  Exposition.  411 

The  following1  were  the  committees  of  the  board 
for  the  year  1892: 

COMMITTEE  ON  FINANCE. 

Ferdinand  W.  Peck,  Chairman. 

Lyman  J.  Gage.  Harlow  N.  Higinbotham. 

Elbridge  G.  Keith.  John  J.  P.  Odel! . 

COMMITTEE  ON  GROUNDS  AND  BUILDINGS. 

Henry  B.  Stone,  Chairman. 

Robert  C.  dowry.  William  P.  Ketcham. 

Edward  F.  Lawrence.  Charles  H.  Schwab. 

Lyman  J.  Gage.  Eugene  S.  Pike. 

COMMITTEE  ON  LEGISLATION. 

Edwin  Walker,  Chairman. 

Ferdinand  W.  Peck.  Benjamin  Butterworth. 

Frederick  S.  Winston.  Arthur  Dixon. 

COMMITTEE  ON  AGRICULTURE. 

William  D.  Kerfoot,  Chairman. 

Isaac  N.  Camp.  George  Schneider. 

Thies  J.  Lefens.  Washington  Porter. 

COMMITTEE  ON  FOREIGN  EXHIBITS. 

Thies  J.  Lefens,  Chairman. 

Charles  H.  Wacker.  Harlow  N.  Higinbotham. 

James  W.  Ellsworth.  Charles  Henrotin. 

COMMITTEE  ON  TRANSPORTATION. 

Edward  P.  Ripley,  Chairman. 

John  C.  Welling.  Charles  H.  Wheeler. 

Henry  B.  Stone.  Charles  H.  Chappell. 

COMMITTEE  ON  FINE  ARTS. 

Charles  L.  Hutchinson,  Chairman. 
Elbridge  G.  Keith.  Charles  T.  Yerkes. 

James  W.  Ellsworth.  Eugene  S.  Pike. 

COMMITTEE  ON  WAYS  AND  MEANS. 

Harlow  N.  Higinbotham,  Chairman. 

Adolph  Nathan.  Edward  F.  Lawrence. 

Charles  H.  Wacker.  William  J.  Chalmers. 

Robert  A.  Waller.  William  D.  Kerfoot. 

George  Schneider.  Edward  P.  Ripley. 

Milton  W,  Kirk.  Andrew  McNally. 

Edward  B.  Butler.  Washington  Porter. 

COMMITTEE  ON  MINES,  MINING,  FORESTRY  AND  FISH. 

Charles  H.  Schwab,  Chairman. 

John  C.  Welling.  Robert  Nelson. 

William  J.  Chalmers.  Arthur  Dixon. 

COMMITTEE  ON  PRESS  AND  PRINTING. 

Alexander  H.  Revell,  Chairman. 

Milton  W.  Kirk.  Edward  B.  Butler. 

Benjamin  Butterworth.  George  Schneider. 

COMMITTEE  ON  THE  LIBERAL  ARTS. 

James  W.  Ellsworth,  Chairman. 

Isaac  N.  Camp.  Alexander  H.  Revell. 

Robert  A.  Waller.  George  P.  Englehard. 


412  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

COMMITTEE    ON    ELECTRICITY,    ELECTRICAL    AND   PNEUMATIC    APPLI- 
ANCES. 

Robert  C.  Clowry,  Chairman. 

Robert  Nelson.  C.  K.  G.  Billing's. 

Charles  H.  Wacker.  Charles  L.  Hutchinsoh. 

COMMITTEE  ON  MANUFACTURES  AND  MACHINERY. 

John  J.  P.  Odell,  Chairman. 

Adolph  Nathan.  A.  M.  Rothschild. 

Andrew  McNally.  Paul  O.  Stensland. 

SPECIAL  COMMITTEE  ON  CEREMONIES. 

Edward  F.  Lawrence,  Chairman. 

Charles  T.  Yerkes.  Charles  H.  Schwab. 

Charles  H.  Wacker.  William  D.  Kerfoot. 

Charles  Henrotin.  Alexander  H.  Revell. 

James  W.  Ellsworth. 

We  now  come  to  the  rounding  up,  to  use  a  meta- 
phor, of  the  labors  and  results  that  the  various  com- 
mittees had  brought  into  a  state  of  probation  only; 
to  provide  for  such  questions  as  might  arise  from 
unexpected  conditions,  growing  out  of  rival  interests 
or  a  conflict  of  authority,  which  was  the  problem  that 
the  friends  of  the  Exposition  saw  the  necessity  of 
settling  without  delay;  for  the  time  to  have  every 
thing  in  readiness  for  the  dedication  of  the  buildings 
appeared  short.  Said  Mr.  Stone,  the  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  grounds  and  buildings:  "The  Exhibition 
is  about  to  break  in."  The  board  of  reference  and 
control  of  the  directory  and  the  commission  now 
evolved  a  plan  to  create  a  council  of  administration, 
composed  of  two  directors  and  two  commissioners. 

Up  to  this  time  the  board  of  directors  and  the 
board  of  commission  had  the  entire  responsibility  of 
managing  all  the  affairs  pertaining  to  the  Exposition. 
As  they  were  composed  of  equal  numbers,  a  deadlock 
was  liable  to  occur  unless  perfect  harmony  prevailed 
between  the  two  boards.  The  object  in  constituting 
the  council  of  administration  was  to  prevent  such  a 
fatal  dilemma.  Harlow  N.  Higinbotham  and  Charles  H. 
Schwab  were  chosen  to  represent  the  directory  in  this 
council.  George  G.  Massey,  of  Delaware,  and  J.  W. 
St.  Clair,  of  West  Virginia,  were  chosen  to  represent 
the  commission.  At  the  first  meeting  of  this  council 
Mr.  Higinbotham  was  made  chairman.  This  council 


World1  s  Columbian  Exposition.  413 

had  absolute  power  to  control  all  matters  of  general 
administration,  but  not  power  to  expend  moneys, 
except  when  duly  appropriated  by  the  board  of  direc- 
tors. Practical  work  was  wanted  at  its  hands,  not  per- 
functory ;  success  was  the  ultimatum  at  which  it  aimed, 
and  was  reached  on  time  by  making  the  most  of  the 
energy  under  its  supervision,  represented  by  an  army 
of  workers.  If  its  duties  were  onerous,  incentives  to 
action  were  correspondingly  developed  to  master  the 
situation.  The  plan  on  which  it  was  to  act  was  em- 
bodied in  a  compact  adopted  by  the  committee  of 
conference,  August,  1892. 

The  date  for  the  dedication  of  the  buildings  was 
fixed  by  the  council  of  administration  to  take  place 
October  21,  1892,  instead  of  October  12,  according  to 
the  act  of  congress. 

For  this  change  there  were  two  reasons.  First, 
courtesy  to  New  York  (which  city  had  made  provision 
for  a  naval  display  in  her  harbor,  urged  that  Chicago 
should,  out  of  deference  to  her,  postpone  her  day  of 
dedication  lest  it  might  interfere  with  the  official 
attendance  of  persons  whose  presence  at  each  place 
was  desirable.  Besides  this,  it  was  appropriate  that 
the  Chicago  dedication  should  take  place  on  the  anni- 
versary day  when  Columbus  first  beheld  the  land  of 
the  western  hemisphere,  which  would  be  the  26th,  in 
the  Gregorian  calendar,  which  date  corresponded  with 
the  12th,  in  the  Julian  calendar,  used  in  Columbus' 
time. 

DEDICATION   OF  THE   BUILDINGS. 

The  committee  of  ceremonies,  on  the  part  of  the 
board,  consisted  of  the  following  persons:  Edward  F. 
Lawrence,  chairman,  Charles  H.  Schwab,  William  D. 
Kerfoot,  Charles  T.  Yerkes,  Charles  H.  Wacker,  Charles 
Henrotin,  Alexander  H.  Revell.  The  dedication  of  the 
Exposition  buildings  six  months  before  the  inaugura- 
tion was  done  to  make  known  to  the  world  the  immense 
preparations  for  the  event.  The  ceremonies  began 


414  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

with  a  national  salute  fired  at  sunrise.  The  board  of 
directors  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  the 
board  of  lady  managers,  and  the  distinguished  guests 
in  carriages,  formed  in  line  on  Michigan  avenue  oppo- 
site the  Auditorium,  whence  they  were  accompanied  by 
military  escort  to  Twenty-ninth  street.  Here  they  were 
joined  by  Vice-President  Morton,  who  acted  in  behalf  of 
the  president  of  the  United  States,  and  President  Palmer, 
of  the  commission;  thence  they  moved  south  to  Wash- 
ington Park,  where  15,000  United  States  troops  and 
militia  companies  of  several  states,  all  on  parade  for 
review,  marched  past  the  distinguished  guests  who 
formed  the  procession.  It  then  moved  to  Jackson 
Park  by  way  of  the  Midway  Plaisance  to  the  Manufact- 
ures building  on  the  Fair  grounds.  A  luncheon  was 
now  served  to  70,000  persons.  When  the  ceremonies 
were  about  to  commence,  a  large  crowd  had  gathered 
outside  of  the  gates.  Attention  of  Mr.  Higinbotham 
being  called  to  this,  he  ordered  the  gates  thrown  open 
to  all  who  desired  to  enter. 

The  march  of  the  procession  had  been  placed  under 
the  charge  of  Major-General  Nelson  A.  Miles,  U.  S.  A., 
whose  duties  had  been  admirably  executed  in  bringing 
so  large  a  number  of  people  to  the  grounds  without 
detention  or  accident.  Now  all  the  responsibilities 
attending  the  occasion  were  assumed  by  Mr.  Higin- 
botham, who  had  been  made  president  of  the  Colum- 
bian Exposition  and  chairman  of  the  council  of  admin- 
istration in  the  preceding  month  of  August. 

The  dedicatory  ceremonies  were  opened  with  the 
"  Columbian  March,"  composed  by  Prof.  J.  H.  Paine,  of 
Cambridge,  and  rendered  by  the  Columbian  orchestra 
and  chorus.  After  a  prayer  by  Bishop  Fowler, 
the  introductory  address  was  made  by  the  director 
general,  George  R.  Davis.  Hempstead  Washburne, 
mayor  of  Chicago,  gave  the  address  of  welcome  and 
a  tender  of  the  freedom  of  the  city  to  Vice-President 
Morton,  and  to  the  representatives  of  foreign  nations. 


Worlds  Columbian  Exposition.  415 

The  "Columbian  Ode,"  written  by  Miss  Harriet  Mon- 
roe, was  read  by  Mrs.  Sarah  LeMoyne,  and  selec- 
tions from  it,  set  to  music  by  George  W.  Chadwick, 
were  sung  by  the  Columbian  chorus.  The  director  of 
works,  Daniel  H.  Burnham,  tendered  the  buildings  to 
President  Higinbotham,  and  presented  to  him  the 
master  artists  of  its  construction  in  an  appropriate 
address.  President  Higinbotham  responded  to  this 
address  and  presented  to  the  master  artists  the  medals 
made  in  recognition  of  their  services.  During  the 
presentation  the  chorus  rendered  Mendelssohn's  "To 
the  Sons  of  Art." 

Mrs.  Potter  Palmer,  president  of  the  board  of 
lady'managers,  then  made  an  address  on  the  achieve- 
ments of  the  board.  President  Higinbotham  then 
tendered  the  buildings  to  Hon.  Thomas  W.  Palmer, 
president  of  the  World's  Columbian  commission,  who, 
in  turn,  presented  them  to  Lev'i  P.  Morton,  Vice- 
President  of  the  United  States,  who  formally  dedicated 
the  buildings  in  an  address,  closing  with  the  following 
words:  "In  the  name  of  the  government  of  the  United 
States,  I  hereby  dedicate  these  buildings  and  their 
appurtenances,  intended  by  the  government  of  the 
United  States  for  the  use  of  the  Columbian  Exposition, 
to  the  world's  progress  in  arts,  in  science,  in  agricul- 
ture and  in  manufacture.  I  dedicate  them  to  humanity. 
God  Save  the  United  States  of  America  !  "  The  "  Hal- 
lelujah Chorus,"  from  Handel's  "Messiah,"  was  then 
sung,  following  which  the  dedicatory  oration  was 
delivered  by  Hon.  Henry  Watterson,  of  Kentucky. 
At  the  close  of  this  oration  the  Columbian  chorus 
and  orchestra  rendered  the  "  Star  Spangled  Banner." 
Chauncey  M.  Depew,  of  New  York,  delivered  the  Colum- 
bian oration.  The  ceremonies  were  concluded  with 
prayer  by  His  Eminence,  Cardinal  Gibbons,  archbishop 
of  Baltimore;  the  chorus,  "In  Praise  of  God,"  by 
Beethoven,  and  the  benediction  by  the  Rev.  Henry 
C.  McCook,  of  Philadelphia.  A  national  salute  was 


416 


World's  Columbian  .Exposition. 


fired   by  the   artillery  as  the   ceremonies   came   to   a 
close. 

When  large  bodies  of  humanity  unite  their  enthus- 
iasm in  one  direction,  and  the  end  desired  is  in  sympa- 
thy with  love  of  country,  the  impressiveness  of  the 
scene  is  sublime  ;  neither  the  romancer  nor  the  dram- 
atist can  fully  describe  it ;  nor  can  the  pen  of  history 
do  more  than  give  a  measured  record  of  it.  It  can  say 
the  dedication  of  the  Columbian  Exposition  is  done, 
physically,  but  its  inspiration  lives  in  the  eyes  of  those 
who  saw  it,  and  will  live  in  the  patriotic  heart  of  every 
true  American  citizen  for  a  generation. 

The  opening  of  the  Exposition  was  set  for  May  1, 
191  days  ahead,  with  the  storms  of  winter  intervening. 
The  prospect  was  ominous,  not  to  say  alarming  ;  but 
the  honor  of  Chicago,  as  well  as  that  of  the  whole  coun- 
try, was  at  stake.  Perseverance  and  energy  had  many 
times  been  -severely  tested,  but  the  end  was  not  yet 
reached,  nor  would  it  be  till  the  White  City  was  ready 
for  visitors,  with  every  attendant  at  his  post.  During 
the  last  two  days  of  April  the  grounds  were  cleaned  up, 
the  exhibits  placed  in  view,  except  the  few  still  in 
picking  cases,  which  were  concealed;  so  that  on  the 
following  morning,  May  1,  the  whole  scene  looked 
inviting  for  visitors. 

The  following  table  is  a  list  of  Expositions,  from 
the  time  of  the  World's  Fair  in  London,  1851,  down 
to  the  time  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  of 
1893. 


Year. 

Place. 

Number  of 
Exhibitors. 

Number 
of  Visitors. 

Acres. 

Numb'r  of 
Da3'sOpen 

1851 

London 

15,500 

6,039,195 

13 

144 

1855 

Paris 

23,954 

6,162,330 

22.1 

200 

1862 

London 

28,653 

6,225,000 

25.6 

171 

1867 

Paris 

52,200 

9,238,967 

31 

217 

1873 

Vienna 

42,584 

7,254,687 

56.5 

186 

1876 

Philadelphia 

60,000 

9,910,966 

236 

159 

1878 

Paris 

40,366 

16,032,725 

100 

191 

1889 

Paris 

55,000 

28,149,353 

173 

183 

1893 

Chicago 

*    *    *    * 

27,539,521 

645 

183 

World's  Columbian  Exposition. 


417 


A  GENERAL  SUMMARY  OF  AREA  OF  GROUNDS. 
BUILDINGS. 


Square   Feet. 

Acres. 

Square  Feet. 

Acres. 

Main: 

Administration    

51,456 

1.18 

Agriculture.       

589,416 

13.53 

Art    

261,073 

5.99 

Electricity    .     

265,500 

6.09 

Fisheries           .  .         

104,504 

2.39 

Government  

155,896 

3.57 

Horticulture                        •  •  • 

237.956 

5  46 

Machinery         

796,'686 

18.28 

Manufactures.         

1,345,462 

30.88 

Mines                        

246,181 

5.65 

Transportation 

704,066 

16  16 

"Woman's.       

82,698 

1.89 

4Q/IH   QQA 

Minor         ....        

1,630,514 

37.43 

State                

450,886 

10.35 

Foreign              

135,663 

3  11 

Concessions    (Midway    build- 
in  fg  booths   etc  )      

801,238 

18  39 

Miscellaneous                     .   ... 

317  699 

7  29 

Total  

8,176,894 

187.69 

GROUNDS. 


Square  Feet. 

Acres. 

Square   Feet. 

Acres. 

Lawns  and  Hards: 
General  lawns  

4,957,141 

Water  lawns  

141,859 

Yards  

2,141,386 

Waterways  

2,630,105 

lob.Zl 
60.37 

Roads  &  walks  (beach,  brick, 
asphalt,  plank,  macadam)  . 

11,146,184 

255.88 

Piers: 
Casino  

411,282 

Naval  

283  843 

li(\K    I  OC 

1  £    O^ 

Total  .  . 

21.711.800 

498.14 

SUMMARY. 


Square  Feet. 

Acres. 

Buildings  

8,176,894 

187  69 

Lawns                    

7,240,386 

166  21 

Water  

2,630,105 

60.37 

Roads        .                                 ...               

11,146,184 

255  88 

Piers  

695,125 

15  95 

Total  

29,888,694 

686.10 

418  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

STATE  AND  FOREIGN  BUILDINGS. 

STATE, 

Square  Feet.  Square  Feet. 

Arkansas 5,985    Missouri 5,824 

California 59,948    Montana 7,092 

Colorado 5,064    Nebraska 7,3lL 

Connecticut 4,512    New  Hampshire 5,464 

Delaware 4,904    New  Jersey 4,360 

Florida 9,394    New  York 20,416 

Idaho 4,090    North  Dakota 3,604 

Illinois 92,388    Ohio 1 1,544 

Indiana 13.672    Pennsylvania  16,948 

Iowa 19,120    Rhode  Island 2,872 

Joint  Territories 4,040    South  Dakota  7,068 

Kansas 15,176    Texas 6,756 

Kentucky 7,740    Utah  4,606 

Louisiana 3,800    Vermont  4,608 

Maine 4,370    Virginia 7,300 

Maryland 7,032    Washington 24,544 

Massachusetts 7,064    West  Virginia 7,401 

Michigan 17,800    Wisconsin 9,OS8 

Minnesota 7,848 

FOREIGN. 

Square  Feet.  Square  Feet. 

Brazil 13,448    Guatemala. 13,016 

Canada 5,008    Hayti 9,622 

Ceylon 7,217    Japan 8,180 

Colombia 2,544    New  South  Wales 4,864 

Costa  Rica 6,696    Norway 1,120 

East  India 4,976    Spain 6,608 

France 11,728    Sweden 12,552 

Germany 17,288    Turkey    2,592 

Great  Britain 5,712    Venezuela 3,392 

Number  of  state  buildings 37 

Number  of  foreign  buildings 18 

Total 755 

The  great  day  for  the  opening-  of  the  Exhibition, 
May  1,  1893,  had  now  come.  The  ceremonies  attend- 
ing it  were  held  in  the  Court  of  Honor.  To  add  to  the 
dignity  of  the  occasion  Mr.  Cleveland,  president  of  the 
United  States,  ascended  the  platform  at  11  o'clock. 
Vice-President  Stevenson  and  other  members  of  his 
cabinet  were  by  his  side.  The  duke  of  Veragua,  lineal 
descendant  of  Christopher  Columbus,  together  with  the 
members  of  his  family,  the  diplomatic  corps,  members 
of  congress,  directors  of  the  Exposition,  members  of 
the  Columbian  commission  and  the  board  of  lady  man- 
agers, members  of  foreign  and  state  commissions  and 
officers  and  chiefs  of  departments  of  the  Exposition 
and  their  ladies  were  present  at  this  impressive  scene. 


World's  Columbian  Exposition.  419 

The  order  of  exercises  was  as  follows: 

1.  Music,  "Columbian  March"  for  orchestra,  John  K.  Paine. 

2.  Prayer.  Rev.  W.  H.  Milburn,  Washington,  D.  C. 

3.  Poem,  "  The  Prophecy,"  by  W.  A.  Croffut,  Washington,  D.  C. 

4.  Music,  orchestral  overture  to  "Rienzi,"  Wagner. 

5.  Address  by  the  director  general. 

6.  Address  by  the  president  of  the  United  States. 

7.  Starting  of  machinery,  during  which  time  the  "  Hallelujah 
Chorus"  (Handel),  was  performed. 

8.  Official  reception  of  the  president  of  the  United  States  and 
the  officials  of  the  World's  Columbian  Commission  and  of  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  by   the    various  foreign   commissions,  in  the 
building  for  Manufactures  and  Liberal  Arts. 

President  Cleveland  now  arose  to  speak.  He  was 
received  with  great  enthusiasm.  After  his  speech  he 
pressed  the  key  of  the  electric  attachment  that  set  the 
great  engine  of  2,000-horse  power  in  motion.  Imme- 
diately streams  of  water  sprang  up  from  the  electric 
fountains,  every  flag  was  flung  to  the  breeze,  shrill 
whistles  of  the  lake  craft  rent  the  air,  cannons  boomed, 
and  enthusiastic  cheers  from  the  vast  multitude  added 
volume  to  this  sonorous  din  of  harmonious  discord 
that  terminated  these  formalities. 

The  fruition  of  Chicago's  ambition,  as  well  as  her 
financial  obligations,  were  now  about  to  be  realized;  but 
it  may  truly  be  said  that  the  minds  of  the  friends  of  the 
Exposition  were  agitated  with  anxiety  lest  an  existing 
money  panic  should  diminish  the  sale  of  tickets;  hence 
the  receipts  for  the  first  month,  May,  were  looked  for- 
ward to  with  earnest  hope.  They  averaged  $37,510  per 
day  for  gate  money.  The  total  from  all  sources  during 
the  month  was  8583,031.  The  total  receipts  for  June 
were  $1,256,180.  This  improvement  was  encouraging, 
as  it  afforded  means  to  make  payments  on  floating 
debts  and  reduce  pressing  obligations.  The  dedication 
and  opening  services  of  the  Exposition  had  more  than 
realized  the  expectations  of  those  responsible  for  its 
success,  and  of  all  who  took  pride  in  it;  but  a  cloud 
came  over  the  scene  at  this  critical  moment.  Eight 
days  after  the  opening,  the  Chemical  National  bank  of 
Chicago  failed.  It  had  a  branch  in  the  administra- 
tion building,  in  which  over  $60,000  were  deposited  by 


420  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

exhibitors.  Jt  would  have  been  fatal  to  the  credit  and 
success  of  the  Exposition  to  have  subjected  them  to  any 
loss  by  this  failure.  To  provide  against  this  discredit- 
able showing  the  following  gentlemen  made  good  the 
deficiency  by  subscription : 

Erskine  M.  Phelps.  Ferdinand  W.  Peck.  Norman  B.  Ream. 

Edward  B.  Butler.  Arthur  Dixon.  William  T.  Baker. 

Byron  L.  Smith.  Otto  Young-.  Charles  H.  Schwab. 

Thies  J.  Lefens.  John  W.  Doane.  John  J.  Mitchell. 

Andrew  McNally.  Washington  Porter.  Edward  F.  Lawrence. 

George  H.  Wheeler.  Elbridge  G.  Keith.  Martin  A.  Ryerson. 

H.  N.  Higinbotham.  William  J.  Chalmers.  George  M.  Pullman. 

Charles  L.  Hutchinson.  William  D.  Kerfoot.  George  Schneider. 

Frederick  S.  Winston.  Adolph  Nathan.  Edwin  Walker. 

Albert  A.  Sprague.  Herman  H.  Kohlsaat.  Charles  H.  Wacker. 

Milton  W.  Kirk.  Robert  A.  Waller.  John  J.  P.  Odell. 

Lyman  J.  Gage.  Melville  E.  Stone. 

The  work  of  construction  and  preparation  was  now 
finished,  the  amount  paid  out  for  which  was  $17,869,- 
421.94  ;  but  so  stupendous  had  been  the  plans  to  carry 
out  the  extravagant  requirements  of  Chicago's  ambition, 
that  to  liquidate  all  the  debts  still  due  to  contractors 
and  other  claimants  required  over  $4,000,000  more. 
The  bonded  and  floating  debts  alone  of  the  Exposi- 
tion were  about  $8,000,000,  with  but  five  months  more 
in  which  to  liquidate  them.  The  prospect  that  this 
could  be  done  was  not  encouraging ;  but  the  public, 
fortunately,  did  not  know  the  dark  side  of  this  picture. 

Bodies  of  men  associated  together  to  accomplish  a 
great  public  enterprise  must  necessarily  be  made  up  of 
varieties  of  character,  corresponding  to  the  magnitude 
of  their  undertaking.  If  one  man  had  the  power  of 
control  of  the  whole^management  of  this  undertaking, 
the  chances  of  cross-purposes  would  be  minimized,  pro- 
viding this  autocrat  -was  a  man  of  discrimination  and 
clean  cut  methods  of  execution,  and  providing,  also,  he 
was  a  technologist  in  every  branch  of  artisanship  nec- 
essary for  the  service  ;  but  the  Columbian  Exposition, 
in  its  multifarious  waves  of  human  energy,  whetted  to  a 
keen  edge  by  four  hundred  years  of  progress,  dating 
from  the  event  it  celebrated,  could  not  be  entirely  under 
abeyance  of  one,  though  even  a  master  mind,  in  detail. 


World's  Columbian  Exposition.  421 

Subordinate  boards  and  committees  consisting  of  ex- 
perts in  their  respective  responsibilities  must  be  con- 
structed. These  boards  and  committees,  now  in  full 
force,  had  given  form  and  authority  on  which  to  build 
a  historical  monument  worthy  of  America.  Though 
it  is  natural  that  such  an  idea  should  originate  in 
Chicago,  situated  as  it  is  on  the  western  verge  of  this 
progress  that  had  grown  out  of  Columbus'  discovery, 
yet,  conservatism  still  had  doubts  of  her  ability  to  make 
a  success  of  it.  And  here  it  is  impossible  to  say  too 
much  in  praise  of  such  men  as  had  devoted  their  time 
with  this  object  in  view,  often  leaving  scanty  hours  for 
sleep.  They  had  an  army  of  cormorants  on  their  trail, 
determined  to  make  the  most  they  could  by  exorbitant 
charges  for  services  ;  and  to  do  so,  taxed  the  gener- 
osity of  the  promoters  of  the  exhibition  to  the  utmost 
limit.  There  were  also  jealousies  to  settle  among  a 
class  who  could  play  the  artist  or  the  Shylock  ;  but  the 
foremost  point  to  be  considered  was  how  to  get  an  ade- 
quate return  for  the  immense  expenditures  already 
involved,  how  to  bring  honor  instead  of  disgrace  to 
Chicago. 

August  17th,  10  per  cent  on  the  Exposition  bonds 
were  paid. 

During  the  first  three  months  the  receipts  of  the 
Exposition  had  been  $4,230,979.89;  the  expenses  for 
the  same  time  being  $1,822,672.37,  leaving  a  balance  of 
$2,408,307.52  to  be  applied  on  the  floating  debt.  The 
most  pressing  obligations  had  been  discharged.  The 
bonded  debt  was  $4,444,500.  The  payment  of  the  first 
installment  called  for  $444,450.  The  receipts  for 
August  were  $2,337,856.25,  expenses,  $569,798.12,  leav- 
ing a  balance  of  $1,768,058.13.  From  the  receipts  of 
Chicago  day,  October  9th,  and  from  those  of  the  pre- 
vious months,  the  remaining  bonded  indebtedness, 
amounting  in  all  to  81,565,310.75,  was  paid. 

To  increase  the  interest  in  the  Exposition  a  list  of 
special  days,  in  an  honorary  sense,  was  observed.  These 


422  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

days  consisted  of  compliments  devoted  to  foreign 
countries,  to  different  states  of  the  Union,  to  various 
mechanical  trades  and  artisanship,  to  literary  days. 
For  instance:  Poets'  day,  Military  day,  Veterans'  day, 
Patriotic  day,  Independence  day,  in  which  the  old 
Liberty  Bell  revived  the  remembrance  of  our  revolu- 
tionary fathers  and  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
But  of  all  these  days  none  called  forth  so  great 
an  attendance  as  Chicago  day,  which,  being  observed 
on  the  anniversary  of  her  great  fire,  appealed  to  the 
emotions  of  her  citizens,  who  took  pride  in  the  rebuild- 
ing of  the  burnt  city.  The  paid  attendance  on  that  day 
was  716,880.  Every  means  of  transportation  from  a 
radius  of  more  than  100  miles  was  taxed  to  its  utmost 
limit.  It  is  doubtful  if  ever  before  an  event  had  oc- 
curred in  the  United  States  that  called  forth  three- 
fourths  of  a  million  persons. 

October  11  the  directors  gave  a  banquet  to  the 
commissioners  of  foreign  nations  represented  at  the 
Exposition,  for  which  great  preparations  were  made, 
intending  to  make  it  the  crowning  social  event  of  the 
Exposition.  President  Palmer  was  also  honored  with 
a  banquet  at  the  Auditorium,  at  which  all  the  great 
interests  of  the  Exposition  were  represented.  The 
directors'  banquet,  held  in  Music  hall,  had  an  immense 
attendance.  A  committee,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Walker, 
Henrotin,  Ellsworth,  Scott,  Revell  and  the  president 
and  director  general  were  appointed  to  take  charge  of 
this  entertainment.  At  this  banquet,  after  a  salutation  by 
President  Higinbotham,  the  following  toasts  were  given: 

"President  of  the  United  States  and  Rulers  of 
Other  Nations."  Response- by -Thomas  W.  Palmer, 
president  of  the  World's  Columbian  Commission. 

"The  Birth  of  the  Exposition."  Response  by 
Lyman  J.  Gage,  ex-president  of  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition. 

"Design  of  the  Exposition."  Response  by  Daniel 
H.  Burnham,  director  of  works. 


World's  Columbian  Exposition.  423 

"Great  Britain  and  Her  Colonies.     .      . 
Response  by  Florence  O'Driscoll,  M.  P.,  Royal  British 
Commissioner. 

"Illinois.."  Response  by  Governor  John  P.  Alt- 
geld. 

"The  German  Empire."  Response  by  Dr.  Max 
Richter,  imperial  representative  commissioner. 

"City  of  Chicago. "  Response  by  Mayor  Carter 
H.  Harrison. 

"The  French  Republic."  Response  by  Edmond 
Bruwaert,  consul-general  and  acting  commissioner- 
general. 

"The  Development  of  the  Exposition."  Response 
by  W.  T.  Baker,  ex-president  World's  Columbian 
Exposition. 

"The  Russian  Empire."  Response  by  C.  Ragousa- 
Soustcheosky,  acting  commissioner-general. 

"The  Kingdom  of  Spain."  Response  by  E.  Dupuy 
de  Lome,  minister  plenipotentiary  and  royal  commis- 
sioner-general. 

"The  Closing  Days  of  the  Exposition."  Response 
by  George  R.  Davis,  director-general  World's  Colum- 
bian Exposition. 

"The  Austrian  Empire."  Response  by  Anton  von 
Palitschek-Palmforst,  imperial  royal  consul  and  com- 
missioner-general. 

"The  Kingdom  of  Italy."  Response  by  Marquis 
Enrico  Ungaro. 

"The  Executive  Commissioners  of  the  States  of 
the  Union."  Response  by  Edward  C.  Hovey,  vice-pres- 
ident National  Association  of  Executive  Officers. 

"The  Future  Influence  of  the  Exposition."  Re- 
sponse by  Harlow  N.  Higinbotham,  president  World's 
Columbian  Exposition. 

Preparations  had  been  made  for  closing  ceremonies 
October  30,  1893,  in  Festival  hall,  equal  to  the  grandeur 
of  the  occasion;  but  on  Saturday  night,  the  28th,  the 
citizens  of  Chicago  and  the  officers  of  the  Exposition 


424  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

were  startled  by  the  death  of  the  mayor  of  Chicago, 
Carter  H.  Harrison,  at  the  hands  of  an  assassin.  This 
changed  the  character  of  the  entire  closing  scenes, 
and  when  the  people  gathered,  October  .30,  instead  of 
joy  and  festivity,  a  sense  of  sorrow  was  omnipresent. 
President  Palmer  came  forward  and  said: 

"As  all  present  know,  it  had  been  the  intention  to  follow  out  in 
every  detail  the  elaborate  and  impressive  programme  of  exercises 
that  had  been  prepared.  It  would  have  been  enhanced  and  enriched 
with  music,  with  festivities,  and  with  the  firing  of  cannon.  It  had 
been  intended  to  bring-  these  exercises  to  a  close  at  sunset  by  the  fall 
of  the  gavel  simultaneously  with  the  salute  of  artillery;  but  all  this 
has  been  changed.  Only  the  firing  of  the  gun  and  the  lowering  of  the 
flag  will  signify  the  end  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  at  sun- 
set. And  now  then,  in  obedience  to  the  provision  of  the  act  of 
congress  creating  this  Exposition,  I  declare  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition  officially  closed." 

Dr.  Barrows,  after  brief  remarks,  gave  the  bene- 
diction in  solemn  words  to  the  immense  audience,  who 
had  risen  to  their  feet  in  reverence  for  the  occasion. 
They  then  filed  out  of  the  hall,  while  Beethoven's 
"  Funeral  March  "  was  being  rendered  with  impressive 
effect. 

The  amenities  of  social  life  lie  at  the  foundation  of 
law,  morality,  religion,  love  of  country  and  love  of 
everything  we  hold  dear.  Fairs  and  expositions  are 
the  handmaidens  of  these  amenities,  necessary  to  rep- 
resent them,  to  stimulate  them  to  action.  Local  fairs 
might  be  tarnished  with  a  jingo  spirit,  but  world  expo- 
sitions must  be  broader,  more  comprehensive,  more 
charitable;  they  must  embrace  the  ethics  of  human 
rights,  according  to  the  estimation  of  philosophers  and 
statesmen.  In  the  ways  and  means  of  promoting  them 
the  financial  question  must  be  incidental  and  subor- 
dinate to  the  incentives  and  principles. 

In  old  countries,  where  conservatism  prevails  uni- 
versally, world  expositions  are  handicapped  by  the 
deeply  worn  ruts  of  allegiance  to  time-worn  prejudices, 
conceits,  opinions  and  customs;  but  the  citizens  of  a 
young  nation  think  and  act  more  in  accordance  with 
natural  law  and  the  natural  rights  of  man;  an  immacu- 
late tablet  is  unfolded  to  them  on  which  to  write,  inde- 


World's  Columbian  Exposition.  425 

pendently,  whatever  is  needed  to  conserve  the  wants 
of  its  people.  This  is  why  the  World's  Columbian  Ex- 
position at  Chicago  was  a  greater  success  than  any 
world's  exposition  ever  held  before.  This  success  was 
not  due  to  superior  financial  resources,  but  to  the  en- 
thusiasm of  Chicago  citizens,  in  alliance  with  the  pride 
of  the  nation.  Nations  decline  in  power  and  cease  to 
exist  when  the  amenities  of  social  life  cease  to  animate 
their  ruling  powers  sufficiently  to  make  them  adminis- 
ter blind  and  even  handed  justice  to  their  respective 
subjects.  Young  nations  take  their  places  and  chant 
their  requiem. 

Every  world's  fair  hitherto  held  has  given  an  im- 
pulse to  whatever  could  impart  life  and  light  to  the 
subjects  of  the  nation  that  held  it,  as  well  as  to  the  dif- 
ferent peoples  who  patronized  it. 

As  a  landmark,  as  an  educator,  as  a  school  of  tech- 
nology, as  a  school  of  natural  history,  as  a  decorator 
with  the  highest  degrees  in  the  temple  of  fame  for  arti- 
sans and  literati,  the  Columbian  Exposition  reached  the 
highest  record  of  any  which  had  preceded  it.  Future 
generations  will  make  an  archeological  study  of  it, 
from  which  to  mark  the  stage  of  human  progress  of  the 
world  at  that  time,  not  only  of  its  most  enlightened 
peoples,  but  of  its  most  barbarous  tribes — grand  and 
opinionated  in  their  personality,  whether  from  the 
Polar  regions,  the  South  Sea  islanders  or  the  inhabitants 
of  the  dark  continent.  Here  they  came  with  their 
native  habits  and  costumes,  their  guttural  tongues 
and  their  sharply  defined  religious  tenets.  All  these 
were  shown  at  a  single  view. 

The  Olympic  games  were  the  pride  of  Greece  — 
Greece,  the  fountain  of  our  civilization.  They  marked 
a  chronology,  just  preceding  the  Christian  era,  and 
some  of  our  grandest  classic  literature  bears  date  of 
the  Olympic  period.  Though  these  games  were  de- 
signed for  physical  development,  they  taught  a  princi- 
ple, akin  to  the  teachings  of  the  immortal  Jefferson,  in 


426  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

the  Declaration  of  Independence.  Crowned  heads  ran 
foot  races  with  the  humblest  subject.  Here  was  the 
doctrine,  "All  men  are  born  free  and  equal,"  reduced 
to  practice.  The  Olympic  games  constituted  an  expo- 
sition, to  amuse  and  instruct.  They  made  progress  in 
this  direction;  they  would  have  made  more  if  the  world 
had  been  in- the  enjoyment  of  the  printing  press,  and  of 
other  appliances  of  our  present  system  of  education. 

The  hiatus  between  the  Olympic  period  and  our 
era  was  marked  with  many  a  recoil  from  the  grandeur  of 
Grecian  civilization.  Once  and  again  Europe  was  buried 
in  ignorance  and  superstition.  Evolution  succeeded 
evolution  as  the  centuries  rolled  on,  till  science  finally 
took  the  lead,  and  made  a  steady  advance.  The  present 
civilization  of  Europe  and  America  is  the  result. 

The  World's  Exposition  of  London,  1851,  closed 
with  a  yacht  race,  in  which  all  nations  were  invited  to 
participate.  The  silver  cup  which  Queen  Victoria 
offered  to  the  winner  became  a  national  heirloom  to- 
the  United  States,  being  a  graceful  and  deserved  com- 
pliment to  the  American  sailor;  and  should  England 
ever  win  it  back,  the  honor  of  the  United  States  will 
rise  to  a  still  higher  scale  by  her  graceful  return  of  the 
cup  as  an  acknowledgment  of  England's  successful 
rivalry.  This  friendly  challenge  for  speed  in  sailing 
craft  is  cited  as  an  instance  of  the  comity  of  nations, 
and  the  benefits  to  the  world  which  grow  out  of  exposi- 
tions. To  enumerate  all  the  friendly  rivalries  in 
every  department  of  national  and  world  known  prov- 
erbs and  hypotheses  that  grew  out  of  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition,  would  be  impossible. 

Its  wide  range  of  exhibits  in  all  the  arts  of  peace, 
and  even  of  war,  have  inspired  a  love  of  the  beautiful, 
an  ambition  to  excel,  a  desire  to  deserve  praise;  each 
exhibitor  in  his  respective  sphere,  that  must  prove 
a  lasting  benefit  to  America  in  every  profession,  and 
in  every  department  of  mechanical  ingenuity,  as  well 
as  in  advanced  thought  in  morality  and  religion,  which 


World's  Columbian  Exposition.  427 

latter  subject  was  so  charitably  dealt  with  by  the  Con- 
gress of  Religions. 

HAPPY,  PROUD  AMERICA! 

You  have  excelled  the  world  in  your  "manifest  of 
cargo"  of  its  most  precious  gems  of  thought,  tri- 
umphs of  art,  and  models  of  machinery,  wherewith  to 
keep  all  mankind  alive  with  action. 

Of  the  many  portraits  painted  of  Columbus,  none 
has  the  proofs  of  authenticity,  except  Gunther's,  the 
one  herewith  presented. 

Sir  Antonio  Moro's  three-quarter  life  portrait  of 
Christopher  Columbus,  owned  by  Charles  F.  Gunther, 
Chicago,  was  executed  about  1543  or  1545,  from  a 
miniature  originally  done  for  the  court  of  Spain.  This 
portrait  was  done  at  this  court  for  Margaret,  regent 
of  the  Netherlands,  and  the  duke  of  Alva,  who  was 
ambitious  to  form  a  collection  of  portraits  of  a  historic 
character  for  his  palace,  the  Spaniards  then  being 
in  possession  of  .the  Netherlands.  The  great  navigator 
undoubtedly  sat  for  the  miniature  from  which  it  was 
executed.  The  painting  was  the  first  exhibit  to  arrive 
in  Chicago  for  the  World's  Fair.  The  fact  that  it 
was  executed  for  royalty  is  proven  by  the  golden 
crown  that  surmounts  and  honors  the  frame.  The 
execution  of  the  portrait  is  in  the  style  of  the  old 
masters,  Velazquez  and  Rembrandt,  and  is  remarkable 
for  its  coloring  and  life-like  appearance.  The  frame 
spoken  of  above,  which  was  made  at  the  same  time  as 
the  portrait,  is  fully  as  interesting  as  the  canvas.  It 
is  fashioned  with  superb  skill,  and  is  a  grand  mass  of 
intricate  carving.  It  is  gilded,  and  on  the  top  there 
are  the  coat-of-arms  and  quarterings  of  Columbus,  the 
islands,  the  anchor,  the  sword  and  caravels. 

Unusual  importance  and  value  is  attached  to  this 
portrait  from  the  fact  that  Moro  was  one  of  the 
masters  of  his  time,  and  that  so  great  and  talented 
an  admirer  as  Washington  Irving,  after  searching 
throughout  Europe,  and  also  during  his  long  residence 


428  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

in  Spain  as  United  States  minister  to  that  court,  and 
known  to  be  a  great  lover  of  Spanish  history  and 
tradition,  on  which  he  has  written  many  volumes, 
settled  upon  this  picture  and  placed  it  as  a  frontis- 
piece in  his  revised  life  (1850)  of  Christopher  Colum- 
bus. Irving's  search  for  a  portrait  for  this  purpose 
was  by  no  means  a  short  one.  He  had  access  to  all 
the  public  and  private  libraries  of  the  kingdom,  which 
were  freely  opened  to  him,  and  it  was  Moro's  famous 
work  that  honored  that  of  Irving.  The  great  author 
in  speaking  of  the  painting,  says:  "The  pro  trait  of 
Columbus  prefaced  to  the  present  volume,  is  from  a 
beautiful  picture  painted  by  Sir  Anthony  Moro  for 
Margaret,  Governess  of  the  Netherlands.  It  was 
brought  to  this  country  about  the  year  1590,  and  has 
been  in  possession  of  one  family  until  very  recently, 
when  it  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Cribb,  of  King  street, 
Covent  Garden,  London.  The  characteristics  of  the 
mind  and  features  of  Columbus  are  so  forcibly  depicted 
in  this  picture,  that  no  doubt  can  remain  but  that  it 
is  a  true  and  perfect  resemblance  of  the  great  navi- 
gator. ' ' 

All  other  portraits  have  a  mythical  history,  with 
no  positive  foundation  for  their  alleged  authenticity. 

Upon  examination  of  the  majority  of  the  alleged 
portraits  of  Columbus,  it  will  be  seen  that  all  of  the 
artists  in  executing  these  works,  had  for  their  Colum- 
bus ideal  a  face  and  form  with  the  plasticity  of  the 
priest,  poet,  writer,  musician,  or  man  of  some  other 
sedentary  occupation.  Not  one  of  them  possesses  the 
characteristics  so  strong  in  Moro's  work.  In  fact 
this  portrait  admirably  portrays  the  face  and  form  of 
a  sailor,  the  features  of  a  man  full  of  vigor  and  am- 
bition. The  face  is  handsome,  robust,  daring;  one 
of  determination  and  zeal,  and  the  only  one  in  which 
any  artist  seeking  Columbus  honors  has  brought  out 
the  characteristics  of  a  true  born  sailor  and  navigator, 
such  as  Columbus  was. 


World's  Columbian  Exposition.  429 

The  Gunther  Columbus  is  one  of  the  few  portraits 
upon  which  the  name  of  the  subject  appears.  Painted 
under  the  finish  on  the  upper  left  hand  corner  of  the 
panel  is  the  inscription  of  "Ch.  Columbo,"  from  the 
brush  of  Moro. 

This  portrait  was  painted  by  one  of  the  greatest 
masters  of  his  time,  who  painted  for  the  Emperor  Charles 
V,  at  the  court  of  Philip  II,  of  Spain,  and  later  at  the 
court  of  England,  where  he  was  knighted  by  the 
crown.  It  is  conceded  that  an  artist  of  his  reputation 
and  position  would  never  have  painted  a  fictitious 
portrait  of  the  great  navigator,  and  placed  the  sub- 
ject's name  upon  it,  nor  would  it  have  been  passed 
upon  or  accepted  by  any  of  his  associates,  were  it 
not  a  good  likeness  of  the  subject.  Although  Colum- 
bus had  not  the  halo  of  heroism  and  glory  around 
him  then  that  the  mantle  of  subsequent  ages  has 
clothed  him  with,  his  fame  had  spread,  and  when  this 
portrait  was  executed  (a  few  years  after  his  death) 
there  were  many  people  yet  alive  who  knew  him  per- 
sonally. From  these  facts  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
idea  of  Moro  painting  anything  but  a  correct  portrait 
of  Columbus  would  be  the  height  of  absurdity,  placing 
the  artist  in  the  light  of  an  impostor.  Moro's  life  as 
a  master  was  of  the  highest  standing. 

DEATH   OF  COLUMBUS. 

His  death  occurred  at  Valladolid,  May  20,  1506. 
Very  little  general  interest  was  manifest  on  the  occa- 
sion. He  was  interred  at  the  place  of  his  death,  and 
his  remains  were  deposited  at  Seville,  but  the  date  of 
removal  is  uncertain,  though  known  to  be  previous  to 
1509,  whence  they  were  removed  to  St.  Domingo, 
according  to  some  authorities  in  1536,  but  certainly 
previous  to  1541.  This  removal  was  to  fulfill  a  request 
from  Columbus  himself,  that  his  last  resting  place 
should  be  in  the  land  that  he  had  discovered.  In  1795, 
owing  to  a  French  conquest  of  part  of  St.  Domingo, 
permission  was  asked  and  granted  to  remove  the  remains 


430 


World's  Columbian  Exposition. 


to  Havana,  and  this  was  carried  into  effect,  as  was 
supposed,  but  in  1877  unmistakable  evidence  was 
brought  to  light  that  the  remains  of  Christopher 
Columbus  still  repose  in  the  vault  of  the  Cathedral  at 
St.  Domingo,  those  removed  to  Havana  having  been 
the  remains  of  another  member  of  the  Columbus  family, 
mistaken  for  them. 


List  of  persons  who  subscribed  to  the  stock  of  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  to  the  amount  of  $1,000  or  more: 

Chicago  Mall  Iron  Co       Dewey  C  P  &  A  B 
Chicago   Wilmington  &  Dexter  \Vlrt 

Ver  Coal  Co  Diamond  Match  Co 

Blatchford  E  W  &  Co       Chicago  National  Bank  Diamond  Prospeet'g  Co 
Bliss  Bullard  &  Gorniley  Chicago  Telephone  Co      Dlckason  L  F 
Boal  C  T  Stove  Co  Chicago  Box  Co  Dletz  John  L 


Abbey  Henry  E 
Adams  Geo  E 
Adams  Isaac  E 
Adams  WH 
Adams  L  &  Co 

Adams  &  Spauldlng 

Adams  &  Westlake&Co  Bogue  &  Hoyt 


Best  Russell  &  Co 
Bigelow  Bros 
Blatz  Valentine 
Blatchford  E  \V  &  Co 


Booth  A  Packing  Co 
Howman  Dairy  Co 
Boyden  Geo  G 
Boyle  Wm  M 
Rradner  Smith  &  Co 
Bradley  C  D 
Kradman  J  W  &  Co 


Adams  &  Westlake 
Ajax  Forge  Co 
Alaska  Fur  Co 
Albert  Dickenson  Co 
Aid  is  Owen  F 
Aldrlch  W  H  &  Co 
Allan  Line  Royal  Mall 

Steam 

Allen  Berry  &  Co 
Allen  W  D  Co 
Allerton  Samuel  VV 
Allyn  Arthur  W 
Alston  Mnfg  Co 
American  Exchg  Nat'l 

Bank 

American  Meter  <~o 

American  Straw  B'rd  Co     lender  Co 
Aiuor.  Tube  and  Iron  Co  Bryan  Thos  B 
Ames  &  Frost  Co  Bucklen  HL  E 

Andrews  A  H  &  Co          Buehler  Jno 
Arend&Co  Bullock  M  C  Mfg  Co 

Arnhelm  Benj  Bunte  Bros  &  Spoehr 

Armour  &  Co  Burnham  E 

Arm's  Pal.  Horse  Car  Co  Butler  Bros 
Arnhelm  Louis  Butler  J  W  Paper  Co. 

Arnold  Bros  Cahn  Wampold  &  Co 

Artlngstall  Sam'l  A         Callaghan  &  Co 
Ascher  Bernard  &  Co       Callahan  A  P 


Cinny  J  W 
Clark  Robt 

BremneTD  F  Baking  Co  Clark  RatTen  &  Co 
ISrewster  Edw  L  &  Co       Clement  Bane  &  Co 
Brown  Jno  J  Clow  Jas  B  &  Son 

Brockway  &  McKey  Cochran  J  L 
Brooks&RossL'mberCo  Coeth«ll  E  L 
Brooks  P  C  Conn  J  II 

Brooks  Shepherd  Colvin  W  H 

Browning  King  i  Co        Colby  J  A  &  Son 
Brunswick    Balke    Col- <'omyne  Stone  Co 
Com  Natl  Bank 


Chicago    Auditorium        Dixon  Arthur 
Ass'n  Doane  J  W  &  Co 

Chicago  White  Lead  &  Doggett  Bassett  &  Hills 
Oil  Co  Co 

Chicago  Wood  Furn  Co  Dolese  &  Shepard 

Donahue  &  Henneberry 
Doremus  A  F 
Dovenmuehle  H  F  C  & 

Son 

Drake  Parker  &  Co 
Dreyer  E  S  &  Co 
Drovers  Journal 
Dun  lap  R  &  Co 
Durand  H  C  &  C 
Dwlght  J  N 
Eagle  Laundry  Co 
Earl  A  Wilson 


Eaton  &  Prince 
Eckhart  &  Swan 
Eggleston  Mallette 

Brownell  &  Co 
Elsenstard  Bros 
Electric  Co  Excelsior  Co 


Channon  H  &  Co 


Atlas  National  Bank 
Atwood  FM 
Auditorium  Hotel  Co 
Austrian  Wise  &  Co 
Averill  A  J 
Ayer  Ed  E 
Bach  L 

Badenoch  Bros 
Batrd  &  Bradley 
Baker  Wm 
Earnhardt  Bros  & 

Spindler  ^  ..c.m,uu  *. 

Bartholomae  &  Roeslng  Chanute  O 
Barnes  F  J 
Barrett  M  L 
Barker  S  B 
Barrett  S  E  Mnfg  Co 
Bass  J  H 
Bass  Perkins 
Bass  M  H 
Bauer  Julius  &  Co 
Bauer  &  Hill 
Bavarian  Brewing  Co 
Beck  Aug  &  Co 
Biedler  J 

Beiermeister  *  Spicer 
Belfeld  Jos  &  Co 
Belford  Clarke  A  Co 
Belding  Bros  &  Co 
Bennett  V  I 
Bennech  F 
Berry  John 


Cooke  Brewing  Co 
Coon  &  Co 
Corbin  May  &  Co 
Corper  &  Nockin 

*  .iiK.n.ui  .TV  .  Coulter  A  &  Co 

Cameron  Amberg  &  Co    Counselman  Chas 
Carsley  &  East  Mnfg  Co  Coyne  F  S 
Carson  Pirie  Scott  &  Co  Crane  Elevator  Co 
Carpenter  Geo  B  &  Co     Crane  Bros  Mfg  Co 
Carslaw  J  W  D 
Cass  Geo  W 
Castro  D 
Central  Mfg  Co 
Chambers  J  B  &  Co 
Chandler  &  Co 
Chapln  &  Gore 


Chicago  Consolidated 

Bottling  Co 

Chicago  Stamping  Co       i.nuj  .-.c..*> 
(  hicago  Rubber  Works    Daily  Skandinavian 
Chicago  Varnish  Co          Dake  Baking  Co 
Chicago  City  Ry  Co  Dallemand  &  Co 

Chicago  Gas  Trust  Co       Davis  Chester  B 
Chicago  Pkg  &  Prov  Co  Davis  Will  J 
Chicago  Stove  Works       Davies  Mrs  M  E 
Chicago  Fire  ProoflngCo  Davidson  &  Son 
Chicago  Kef  Wureh.  Co  Dawson  Martin  Co 
Chicago  Carpet  Co  Dean  Bader  &  Co 

Chicago  Herald  Deiter  Philip 

Chicago  Times  Deimel  R  &  Bro 

Chicago  Btise  Ball  Club  Delaney  &  Murphy 
Chicago  Forge  &  Bolt  Co  Dennehey  Chas 
Chicago  Fringe  Works     Dennehy  Chas 
Chicago  Paper  Co  Detroit  Stove  Works 

Chicago  Cot.  Organ  Co     Dewes  F  J  Brewing  Co 


Com  Exchange  Bank 
Contra  Costa  Calif.  Co 
Cont  Natl  Bank 
Congdon  C  B 

Conkey  VV  B  r.  irn  i  ir  v.  u  r^jtucioiui  v.  \> 

Cook  Lyman Smith  &  Co  Elithorpe  Air  Brake  Co 
Elliott  F  P  &  Co 
Ellsworth  Jas  W 
Emerlch  Chas  &  Co 
Emery  Geo  A 
Estey  &  Camp 
Eureka  Land  Co 
Eureka  Laundry  Co 
Evening  Journal 

, ExcelMor  Iron  Work 

Crame  &  Tarbell 

Cregier  Dewitt  C 

Crerar  Adams  &  Co 

Cribben  Sexton  &  Co 

Crllly  D  F 

Cuddnhy  John 

Cummings  Andrew 

Cummlngs  E  A  &  Co 

Cummlngs  F  D 

Curtis  H  C  &  Co 

Cutter  &  Crossette 

Dally  N 


Fair  The 

Fairbanks  N  K  &  Co 

Fa  Ik  Jung  .<fc  Borchert 
Brewing  Co 

Falker  &  Stern 

Farwell  J  W  &  Co 

Karrar  Arthur 

Farson  Leach  &  Co 

Fargo  C  H  &  Co 

Farnum  I  P 

Fay  C  N 

Fay  J  A  &  Co 

Felsenthal  Gross  & 
Miller 

Felsenthal  Bros  &  Co 

Felix  &  Marston 

Ferrler  P  H 

Field  Benedict  &  Co 

Field  Marshall 

Fiedler  A  B  &  Sons 

Fils  &  Oppenhelmer 

First  National  Bank 

Fisher  W  &  Co 

Ms*  D  B  &  Co 

Fitch  M  J  Paper  Co 

Fitz  Simon  s&  Con  nell  Co 

Flower   Smith    A:   Mils- 
grave 


World's  Columbian  Exposition. 


431 


Fortune  Bros  Brew  Co 
Forman  Bros 
Ford  J  S  Johnson  &  Co 
Franks  J 

Franks  Ticket  Agency 
Fraser  &  Chalmers 
Krankenthal 
thai  &  Co 


French  &  Potter  Co 
Jfreie  Presse 
Friedman  J  &  Co 


Kuppenneimer  B  &  Co     Moller  &  Kohl 
Lamie  John  Monheimer  &  Co 

Lane  Bridge  &  Iron  Wks  Moore  Will  H 
Lansing  &  Sickler  Moorhead  McClean  Co 

Lapp  &  Flershem  MorgenthauBauIand  Co 

Lamed  Walter  C  Morper  Dernber*  &  Co 

Freaden-  Hlbbard  Spencer  Bart-  LassigBridge&lronWks  Morrlll  &  Co  G  H 
lett  &  Co  Lathrop  Bryau  Morris  Henry 


Helssler  &  Junge 
Henderson  C  M  &  Co 
Henneck  C  &  Co 
Uenrotln  Chas 
Henry  Geo  W 
Herr  Hlero  B 


Fuermann  Brewing  Co    Higglns  &  Kurber 


Hibernian  Bankg  Asso-  Law  Robt 

elation  Lawler  K1  R 

Hide  &  Leather  Natl  Bk  Lawrence  E  V 


Htrsh  Elson  &  Co 
Hoerber  J  L  Brg  Co 
Hogan  M  A 
Holly  Mfg  Co 
Hooker  U  M  &  Co 
Hooley  R  M 
Horton  Gilmore  & 

McWilllatus 
Hosmer*  Fenn 
Hoyt  W  M 
Hoyt  W  M  &  Co 
Hughes  Lltho  Co 
Humiston  Keeling  Co 
Huston  A  C 
Hutcliinson  C  L 
Huylers 

Hyman  Berg  &  Co 
Hyman  R  VV  jr  &  Co 
Illinois  Paper  Cc 


Letter  L  Z 
Leland  Hotel 
Leonard  H  U  &  Co 
Leopold  Bros  &  Co 
Levi  H  C 
Levy  B  S 

Leyenberger  Chas 
Libby  McNeil  &  Libby 


Fuller  &  Fuller  Co 

Fullerton  C  W 

Gage  Bros  &  Co 

Gage  L  J 

Gahan  &  Byrne 

Gardner  H  H  &  Co 

Gates  Iron  Works 

Gay  lord  K 

George  Milton 

Gerts  Lombard  &  Co 

Giles  Bros  &  Co 

Giles  W  A 

Gillespie  P  F 

GUlett  E  W 

GlmbPl  M  &  Son 

Godfrey  &  Clark 

Goes  &  Quensel 

Goldle  \Vm  &  Sons 

Goldschmidt  Morris 

Goodrich      Transporta-  Illinois    Staats-Zeitung     ander 

tlon  Co  Co  Lord  .Owen  &  Co 

Goodyear  Rubber  Co        Illinois  Steel  Co  Lowenstein  L  &  Co 

Gora  Geo  P  &  Co  Illinois  Terra  Cotta         Ludlow  Geo  W  &  Co 

Gorham  Mfg  Co  Lumber  Co  Lyon  Tbos  R 

Goss  Printing  Press  Co    Illinois  Trust  &  Savings  Lyon  &  Healy 

Gottfried  Brewing  Co      Inter  Ocean  The  McAvoy  Brewing  Co 

International  Bank          McClurg  A  C  &  Co 
Isham  Lincoln  &  Beale    McCormick  Cyrus  H 
McCormick  W  G 
McCoy  Wm 
McDowell  &  Co 
McEwan  Peter 


Morris  John  Co  The 
Morris  Nelson  &  Co 
Morrisson  Pluuimer&  Co 
Morse  F  E  &  Son 
Morse  Mitchell  & 

Williams 

MouJton  J  T  &  Son 
Mullen  &  Co 
MungerG  M  &Co 
M  11  ii son  Chas  Belting  Co 
Murray  Owen 


Libby  Prison  War  Mus-  Nathan  Herman  Co 


earn 

Lincoln  Ice  Co 
Lindblum  Root 
Link  Belt  Much  Co 
Lipman  C 
List  Edward 
Lloyd  Evan 
Lobdell  E  L  &  Co 
Loeb  A  &  Bro 
Lombard  Joslah  L 


National  Bank  of  Amer 
National  Bank  oj1  Ills 
National  Tube  Wks  Co 
Neeaham  Chas  A 
Neemes  J  C 
Newberry  Geo  G  &  Co 
Newberry  Sig  Wareh  Co 
Newman  Bros 
Nixon  W  K 
Nonatuck  Silk  Co 


Gottlieb  A 

Gradle  &  Stroz 

Gravel  Roofers  Exch  Jacobs  B  F 

Greene  M  F  Jacobs  Wm  V 

Greenfelder    Florsheim  Janiieson  £  Co 

&  Co  Jeffens  W  G 

Greenlee  Bros  &  Co  Jevne  C  &  Co 

Grey  Clark  &  Engle  Johnson  A  J 

Griesheimer  M  Johnson  Chair  Co 
Griffin  Wheel  F'ndry  Co  Joues  J  M  W 

Griswold  Palmer  &  i_o  Juergens  &  Anderson 

Grommes  &  Ullrich  Junk  Magdalena  Mrs 

Gros  S  E  Kaestner  Chas  &  Co 

Grossman  H  Kahn  Bros 


Longlay  Lowe  &  Alex-  Norris  Allister  B  F  &  Co 
North  Chicago  St  Ry  Co 
Northern  Trust  Co 
Northwestern  Brg  Co 
Northwestern  Natl  Bk 
Northwn  Parlor  suit  Co 
Norton  Bros 
Norton  &  Worthington 
Noyes  L  W 

Obermann  J  Brewing  Co 
Ottield  &  Furber 
Ogden  Sheldon  &  Co. 
Onahan  W  J 
Oreman  L  E  &  Co 
orr  &  Lockett 
Osburne  Bros  &  Burgett 
Ostung  Wm 
Pabst  Brewing  Co 


Guhansen  Jno 

Gunther  C  b"  Katsche  Oswald 

Guthnian  Carpenter    &  Kean  S  A  &  Co 

Telling  Keeley  Brewing  Co 

Gutta  Percha  &  Rubber  Keeney  &  Kim  ball 

Mfg  Co  Ketioe  &  Co 

Hafner  Schoen  Furn  Co  Keith  Edson  &  Co 
Hale  Elevator  Co  Keith  Bros  &  Co 

Uallissy  1  P  Kellogg  Chas  P  &  Co 

Hannah  Lay  &  Co  Kennedy  K  A  &  Co 

Hamilton  Merryman  Co  Kent  S  A 


McEwen  John 
McGill  Jno  A 
McKenzie  Geo  N 
McLaughlin  W  F  &  Co 
McLennan  J  A 
McNeil  &  Higgins  Co 
McVoy  Jno  &  Co 
Maas  Baer  &  Co 


Page  M  E  &  Co 
Palmer  Kuller.&  Co 
Palmer  House  Co 
Patterson  Thos  E 


Kahn  Schoenbrun  &  Co  MacVeaghFrankiin&Co  Payne  Leroy 


Hammond  Geo  H 
Han  ford  PC 
Hannah  &  Hogg 
Harding  Geo  F 
Hargin  &  Co 
Harkin  1  M 
Harlan  A  W 
Harper  W  H 
Harrington  &  King 
Harris  N  W  &  Co 
Harris  &  Co 
Harrison  Carter  H 
Hart  Bros 
Hart  J 


Kerfoot  W  D  &  Co 
Kern  Chas 


Madlener  F 
Magdatina  Junk 
Mallory  VV  S  &  Co 
Maloney  Tim 
Maltby  H  W 
Manasse  L 
Mandel  Bros 
Mannheimer  Lepman 

&Co 

Marder  Luce  &  Co 
Marlnet  &  Henriehs 
Murkley  Ailing  &  Co 


Kertlng  Lithograph  Co    Marks  C  W 


Ketcham  J  P  &  Bro 
Kimball  C  P  &  Co 
Kim  ball  Geo  V 
Kimball  W  W  &  Co 
Kimbark  S  U 
King  Bros 

King  Henry  W  &  Co 
King  &  Andrews  Co 
Kinsley  H  M 
Kirchoff  &  Niobai  th 
Kirk  Jas  S  &  Co 


Hart  Schaffner  &  Marx   Knickerbocker  Ice  Co 
Harvey  Squire  T  &  Son  Knickerbocker  J  J 


Harvey  T  W 

Hasterllk  Bros 

Hately  Jno  C 

Hayes  P  D  &  D 

Haynes  N  B 

Headen  &  McIIealy 

Heath  JtMilllganMfgCo  Kranz  John 

Hedenuerg  Jno  W  Krause  J  M 

Heegaard  Wm  H  &  Co     Kresl  Chas 

Heisen  C  C  Kuh  Nathan  &  Fischer 


Knight  &  Leonard  Co 
Knight  &  Marshall 
Knights  G  H  &  Co 
KolUsaat  Ernest  W 
Kohlsaat  H  H 
Kohn  Bros 


Payne  Leroy  &  Co 
Peabody  Hou^hteling 

&  Co 

Peabody  &  Co 
Peacock  C  D 
Peale  R  S 
Pearce  J  Irving 
Peck  P  F  W  Estate  of 
Peiree  L  II 
Peninsular  Stove  Co 
Peshtigo  Lumber  Co 
Phelps  Dodue  &  Palmer 
Phelps  Outfitting  Co 
Phillips  H 
Phillipson  &  Co 
Pickards,  Brown  &  Co 
Pierce  Jonas  J 
Pike  Eugene  I 
Pioneer  Fire  Proof  C  Co 
Piper  H 
I'itkin  &  Brooks 
Place  D  S 

Plamondon  A  Mfg  Co 
Plows  &  Co 
Poole  Bros 

Price  Baking  Powder  Co 
Prior  Wm  A 
Proby  Walter  &  Co 
Pullman  GeoM 
Putnam  Clothing  House 


Marse  E 
Martin  Wm 
Maxwell  S  A  &  Co 
Mayer  Engle  &  Co 
Mayer  Straus  &  Co 
Mayo  Graf  <$.  Co 
Mead  &  Coe 
Merchants'  Loan  & 

Trust  Co 

Merchants'  Natl  Bank 
Meridan  Brittania  Co 
Merlgold  W  A  &  Co 
Merriam  Collins  &  Co 
Merz  Gottlieb 
Met  Natt  Bank 
Michigan  Stove  Co 
Miller  Bros 

Miller  Fred  Brewing  Co  Quan  J  &  Co 
Milligan  H  J  yuan  W  J 

Mills  D  W  Raeder  Henry 

Miner  Real  &  Co  Hand  McNsilly  &  Co 

Mix  Ira  J  &  Bro  Rath  bone  Sard  &  «.  o 

Moe  Charles  &  Co  Rathbourne  Joseph  &  Co 


432 


World's  Columbian  Exposition. 


Rawhide  Mfa  Co 
Raymond  C  L 
Raymond  Lead  Co 
Ream  W  B 
Reid  Murdoch  &  Co 
Rend  W  P 
Revell  Alex  H 
Rew  Henry  C 
Reynolds  Win  C 
Rice  J  ames  H  &  Co 
Rinn  Philip  &  Co 
Rissar  A  K  &  Co 
Rlter  &  Conley 
Roddin  B  V  &  Co 
Rogers  H  W  &  Bro 


Spaulding  &  Merrlck 
Speigel  &  Co 
Sperry  Electric  Co 
Spitz  Landauer  &  Co 
Spoffard  Geo  W 
Sprague  Smith  &  Co 
Sprague  Warner  &  Co 

Roper  &  Baiter  Cigar  Co  Sproehnle  &  Co 

Roth  McMahon  &  Co 

Rothschild  Bros 

Rothschild  E  &  Bro 

Rothschild  Schroeder 

Rowe  Bros 

Rubel  &  Penglase 

Ruehl  Brewing  Co 

Ruhstrat  Gall  &  Co 


Smyth  John  M  Strauss  Ulleman  &  Union  Restaurant 

Snow  &  Dickinson  Guthman  Union  Stock  Yards  & 

Sohie  Lumber  Co  Streeter  Bros  Transit  Co 

South  Branch  Lmbr  Co    Strobel  C  L  Union  Trust  Co 

South  H a  1st c(i  IronWks  Studebaker  BrosMfgCo  United  States  Brg  Co 
Spalding&Co  Sullivan  M  J  U  S  Bxp  Co 

Spaulding  A  G  &  Bro       Sutter  Bros  U  S  Natl  Bank 

Spaulding  Lumber  Co     Sweet  Dempster  &  Co       Upman  Frank 

Swift  &  Co 

Tansell  R  W  • 

Taylor  Geo  H  &  Co 

Tebbetts  &  (iarland 

Tennis  O  B  &  Co 

Thatcher  A  T 

Thomas  &  Hayden 

Thomas  &  Hess 

Thome  M. 

Thompson  Wm 


Spry  John  Lumber  Co 

Stanley  H  P  &  Co 

Stanley  P  E  &  Co 

Stanton  &  Co  ectric  Co 

Staver  H  C  Mfg  Co  Thomson  &  Taylor 

Stein  Bros  Spice  Co 

Stein  Manheimer  &  Co    Thorwalt  &  Hoehling 

Steinmetz  &  Eilenberger  Title  Gar  &  Guar  Co 


Van  Inwagen  J 
Van  Schaack  Peteri  Son 
Vierling  F  C 
Vierling  Robt  &  L, 
Wacker  &  Birk  Brg  Co 
Wakeneld  Rattan  Co 
Walker  E 
Walker  Geo  C 
Walker  Hy  H 
Walker  Jas  H  &  Co 


Steinway  Wm 
Stenson  Jas  &  Co 
Stern  Hy 

Steuben  Co  Wine  Co 
Stevenson  Robt  &  Co 


Sawyer  Goodman  &  Co    Stinckon  &  Kacllsh 

Scammon  J  Young  Mrs    Stinson  James 

Schaaf  Adam  St.  John  Marsh  Co 

SchaBner  Herman  &  Co  Stockton  Jos  &  Co 

Schimpferman  WH  &Co  Stone  Cutters  Ass  Jour-  Tuohy  J  W  &  Co 

Schlesinger  &  Mayer  neymen  Turkington  Wm 

Schlessinger  Chas&Sons  Storey  &  Clark  Organ  Co  Turner  &  Bond 


Thomson  -  Houston  El-  Walker  Oakley  &  Co 
Waller  Edw  C 
Wanamaker  &  Brown 
Ward  M  &  Co 
Warren  W  H 
Washington  Ice  Co 
Washington  Park  Club 
Watkins  &  Fuller  Lum- 
ber Co 

Weaver  Henry 
Webbs  Ticket  Agency 


Tobey  Furniture  Co 
Tosetti  Ernst  Brg  Co 
Towle  Mfg  Co 
Trainor  Jno  W 
Trainor  J  W 
Treat  C  P 
Tree  Lam  bert 
Tribune  Co 


Schlitz  Jos  Brg  Co 
Schmidt  K  G 
Schnadig  Bros  &  Co 
Schneider  E  &  Co 
Schoellkopf  Henry 
Schoenhofen  P  Brg  Co 
Schroeder  Louis 
Schweyer  John  &  Co 
Seaverns  Geo  A 
Seeberger  A  F 
Seigel  V  &  Bro 
Seipp  Brewing  Co 
Selz  Schwab  &  Co 
Shailer  &  Schnlglan 
Shay  T  J  &  Co 
Shayne  J  T 
Sheldon  G  W  &  Co 
Sherman  Marr&Higgins 
Shire  A 

Shoe  &  Leather  Review 
ShourdsStorey  A  Kaspar 
Stdway  L  B 
Siegel  Cooper  &  Co 
Silurian  Mineral  SpgsCo 
Sllverman  Lazarus 
Silverman  &  Opper 
Simon  L  &  Co 
Simons  S 
Singer  &  Talcott  Stone 

Co.  The 

Sioux  Falls  Granite  Co 
Sklnkle  J  W 
Slack  Chas  H 
Slater  Hlllman  &  Co 
Smith  Adam  Co 
Smith  Byron  L 
Smith  Edward  G 
Smith  Geo  K 
Smith  Jas  P  &  Co 
Smith  R  P  &  Sons 
Smith  T  B 
Smith  Wm  Sooy 


Storm  &  Hill  Tyler  &  Hippach 

Straiton  &  Storm  Umbdenstock  M  &  Co 

Stratton  &  Storm  Underwood  &  Co 

Straus  Bros  Union  Bag  &  Paper  Co 

Strauss  Goodman  Yon-  Union  Ice  Co 
dorff  &  Co  Union  Natl  Bank 


ARMS  OF  COLUMBUS 


Webster  &  Counstoek 

Mfg  Co 

WeighleyBulkleyA  Fray 

Troy  Laundry  Mach  Co  Wetr&CraigMfgCoThe 
Weiss  Geo  A 
Wells  M  1)  &  Co 
Wells  &Nellegar  Co 
Weniberg  E  &  Co 
West  Chicago  St  Ry  Co 
Western  Electric  Co 
Western  Paving  and 

Supply  Co 
Western  Bank  Note  and 

Engraving  Co 
Western  Wheel  WTks 
Wheeler  S  H 
White   Dental    Mfg   Co 

TheSS 
Whittle  E  O 
Wight  Fire  Proofing  Co 
Wilbeck  H  Co 
Wilde  Jas  Jr  &  Co 
Will  &  Roberts 
Williams  Geo  H  &  Co 
Willing  Hy  J 
Willoughby  Hill  &  Co 
Willoughbv  &  Robie 
Wilson  Brds 
Wilson  Wm  J 
Wineman  M 
Winslow  Bros  Co 
Winston  F  H 
Wisley  Allen  B 
Wittmeyer  Bros 
Wolf  I 

Wolf  &  Periolat  Fnr  Co 
Wolff  L  Mfg  Co 
Woodcock  &  Loring 
Work  Bros  &  Co 
Wright  Haughey 
Wyckoff  Seamans  & 

Benedict 
Yondorf  Bros 
Young  Otto  Mrs 
Young  Otto  &  Co 
Young   &    Knrrell   Dia- 
mond Stone  Sawing  Co 

The 
Yourt  Jno  H 


INDEX   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


TO 


WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION. 


PAGE. 

GUNTHER'S  COLUMBUS      .  .  ...  .  434 

LYMAN  J.  GAGE     .           .  .  .          V  .  .  435 

HARLOW  N.  HIGINBOTHAM  .  .           .  .  '.  436 

HEMPSTEAD  WASHBURNE  .  .           .  .  .  437 

CARTER  H.  HARRISON,  SR.  .        ^  .  .  .    .  438 

MRS.  POTTER  PALMER      .  .           .  .  ..,  .  439 

THOMAS  B.  BRYAN           -.  .  .           .  i   '  .•  440 

ADMINISTRATION  BUILDING  ...  .           .  .  :    .  441 

MACHINERY  HALL             .  .  .  .  7           .  .  .  442 

AGRICULTURAL  BUILDING  .  .           .  .  .  443 

HORTICULTURAL  BUILDING  .    .  .           .  .  .  444 

TRANSPORTATION  BUILDING  .    .  .           ,  .  .  445 

MANUFACTURES  AND  LIBERAL  ARTS  BUILDING  .  .  446 

ART  PALACE           .           .  .  .  .  .  447 

WOMAN'S  BUILDING  448 


434 


World's  Columbian  Exposition. 


GUNTHER'S  COLUMBUS. 


World's  Columbian  Exposition.  435 


LYMAN  J.  GAGE. 


436  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 


HARLOW  N.  HIGINBOTHAM. 


World's  Columbian  Exposition.  437 


HEMPSTEAD  WASHBURNE. 


438  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 


CARTER  H.  HARRISON,  SR. 


World"1*  (Columbian  Exposition. 


439 


MRS.  POTTER  PALMER. 


440  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 


* 


THOMAS  B.  BRYAN. 


-  •-;••  •  "  _ 


THE  WORLD'S  CONGRESSES 

OF   THE 

WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION. 

The  World's  Congresses  of  1893  were  first  publicly 
proposed  September  20,  1889  ;  the  first  session  was 
opened  May  15,  1893,  and  the  last  was  held  October  28 
of  that  year. 

The  beginning  of  the  organization  was  the  forma- 
tion of  an  executive  committee  of  ten,  which  held  its 
first  meeting  October  15,  1889.  As  the  plans  developed, 
the  need  of  a  larger  organization  was  seen,  and  Octo- 
ber 30,  1890,  "the  World's  Congress  Auxiliary  of  the 
World's  Columbian  Exposition  of  1893"  was  organized 
to  arrange  and  conduct  the  proposed  series  of  interna- 
tional congresses. 

October  21,  1892,  the  inaugural  ceremonies  of  the 
World's  Congresses  were  held  in  connection  with  the 
dedication  of  the  buildings  erected  for  the  Material  Ex- 
position, which  was  held  at  Jackson  park,  at  the  south 
end  of  the  city  of  Chicago. 

Prominent  among  the  possibilities  that  grew  out  of 
the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  was  the  World's  Con- 
gress of  Religions.  It  could  not  have  sprung  into  being 
at  any  other  gathering  of  large  bodies  of  people  that 
had  ever  assembled  before,  at  any  other  time  or  place, 
because  the  materials  necessary  to  compose  it  would 
have  been  wanting.  Hitherto  the  world  had  not  been 
ready  for  it.  Rivalry  and  antagonism  had  ever  been 
omnipresent  among  all  religious  teachings,  and  such 
teachings 'had  been,  and  still  are,  the  accepted  founda- 

(449) 


450  The  World* s  Congresses. 

tion  of  jurisprudence,  which,  in  turn,  had  been  and  still 
is  the  principal  foundation  of  constitutional  as  well 
as  despotic  governments.  The  inspiration  that  gave 
thought  and  form  to  this  congress  had  the  same  source 
that  distinguished  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition 
from  all  others  that  had  preceded  it.  The  parliaments 
of  religions  were  the  chief  of  these  characteristics. 

Charles  Carroll  Bonney,  under  these  auspicious  in- 
fluences, was  the  first  to  formulate  plans  wherewith  to 
utilize  the  material  at  hand  for  a  series  of  international 
congresses.  The  thought  of  the  world's  congresses 
of  1893  originated  with  him.  He  first  voiced  his  ideas 
of  such  a  gathering  in  the  Statesman's  Magazine  for 
October,  1889,  in  the  following  words: 

"The  crowning  glory  of  the  World's  Fair  of  1893 
should  not  be  the  exhibit  there  to  be  made  of  the  ma- 
terial triumphs,  industrial  achievements  and  mechani- 
cal victories  of  man,  however  magnificent  such  displays 
may  be.  Something  higher  and  nobler  is  demanded 
by  the  progressive  spirit  of  the  present  age.  In  con- 
nection with  that  important  event  of  the  world  all 
government,  jurisprudence,  finance,  science,  literature, 
education  and  religion  should  be  represented  in  a  con- 
gress of  statesmen,  jurists,  financiers,  scientists,  litter - 
ati,  teachers  and  theologians,  greater  in  numbers,  and 
more  widely  representative  of  all  peoples  and  nations 
and  tongues  than  any  assemblage  which  has  ever  yet 
been  convened." 

Under  the  authority  of  the  directory  of  the  Colum- 
bian Exposition,  the  first  Religious  Congress  of  the 
World  that  consistently  represented  all  shades  of 
belief  was  organized  October  30,  1890,  and  received  the 
endorsement  of  the  United  States  government.  Charles 
Carroll  Bonney  was  made  president,  Thomas  B.  Bryan, 
vice-president,  and  Lyman  J.  Gage,  treasurer. 

The  congresses  were  held  in  what  was  called 
the  Permanent  Memorial  Art  Palace,  erected  through 
the  co-operation  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  the  directory 


The  World's  Congresses.  451 

of  the  Exposition,  and  the  management  of  the  Art 
Institute  of  Chicago.  The  city  contributed  the  site, 
consisting  of  a  portion  of  the  Lake  Front  park,  on  the 
shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  near  the  heart  of  the  city,  and 
about  six  miles  north  of  Jackson  park  ;  the  Exposition 
directory  furnished  $200,000,  and  the  Art  Institute 
$400,000  for  the  building  erected.  It  contains  thirty- 
three  halls,  besides  committee  rooms  and  storage 
rooms,  and  there  were  also  built,  between  the  wings, 
two  temporary  auditoriums,  calculated  to  seat  3,000 
persons  each.  There  were  occasions  when  it  was 
estimated  that  4,000  persons  were  crowded  into  each 
of  these  auditoriums,  the  northerly  of  which  was  called 
the  Hall  of  Columbus,  the  other  the  Hall  of  Washing- 
ton. Of  the  smaller  halls  in  the  permanent  building, 
twenty  were  used  for  meetings,  and  the  remainder  for 
the  other  purposes  of  the  congresses.  These  halls  were 
seated  to  accommodate  from  100  to  600  persons  each. 

There  were  times  when  the  whole  building  was 
crowded,  and  it  was  claimed  that  12,000  persons  were 
in  simultaneous  attendance  on  the  sessions  of  the 
various  congresses. 

In  order  to  classify,  and  conduct  the  proposed 
series  of  international  congresses,  2,170  persons  were 
divided  into  214  organized  local  committees.  Mixed 
committees  of  men  and  women  were  not  appointed ;  but 
in  all  cases  suitable  for  the  participation  of  women,  a 
committee  of  women  was  appointed  to  act  in  co-opera- 
tion with  the  committee  of  men.  These  committees  of 
women  constituted  what  was  called  the  woman's 
branch  of  the  World's  Congress  Auxiliary.  The  gen- 
eral officers  of  the  Auxiliary  were  a  president,  a  vice- 
president,  secretary  and  treasurer;  and  the  woman's 
branch  had  also  its  own  president  and  vice-president. 

To  these  local  committees  of  organization  were 
adjoined  what  were  called  advisory  councils,  which 
consisted  of  eminent  persons  selected  from  the  various 
participating  countries,  to  advise  and  assist  the  commit- 


452  The  World's  Congresses. 

tees  of  organization  in  selecting  writers  and  speakers 
for  the  different  congresses,  and  in  perfecting  the  plans 
for  them.  The  aggregate  membership  of  these  advisory 
councils  was  14,528.  The  chairman  of  each  committee 
on  organization  was  the  director  of  the  congress  com- 
mitted to  its  charge,  and  Mr.  Bonney,  the  president  of 
the  Auxiliary,  was  the  general  director  of  the  whole 
series  of  the  congresses. 

As  finally  settled,  the  World's  Congress  work  was 
divided  into  twenty  departments  and  224  general  divi- 
sions, in  which  congresses  were  held.  These,  in  their 
numerical  order,  were  as  follows  : 

I,  Woman's  Progress,  25  divisions;  II,  Public 
Press,  6  divisions;  III,  Medicine  and  Surgery,  6;  IV, 
Temperance,  12;  V,  Moral  and  Social  Reform,  15;  VI, 
Commerce  and  Finance,  10;  VII,  Music,  9;  VIII,  Litera- 
ture, 9;  IX,  Education,  First  Series,  17,  Second- Series, 
16;  X,  Engineering,  9;  XI,  Art,  5;  XII,  Government, 
7;  XIII,  General  Department,  1,  besides  4  held  out  of 
their  regular  order  and  here  transferred  to  their  proper 
places;  XIV,  Science  and  Philosophy,  13;  XV,  Social 
and  Economic  Science,  4;  XVI,  Labor,  1;  XVII,  Re- 
ligion, 46  (of  which  the  marvelous  Parliament  of  Re- 
ligions was  the  chief);  XVIII,  Sunday  Rest,  1;  XIX, 
Public  Health,  1;  XX,  Agriculture,  11. 

The  programmes  also  show  125  sections,  of  which 
29  were  of  the  nature  of  the  general  divisions. 

These  congresses  held  1,283  sessions,  aggregating 
753  days.  The  printed  programmes  show  5, 978  addresses 
delivered  or  papers  read,  including  5,454  formal  con- 
tributions, 131  addresses  of  welcome,  176  addresses  of 
response,  and  217  agricultural  reports.  But  these  are 
much  less  than  the  actual  number,  for  many  papers 
and  addresses  were  admitted  after  the  programmes 
were  printed,  and  were  inserted  in  the  corrected  pro- 
grammes used  by  the  presiding  officers. 

A  carefully  prepared  alphabetical  index  shows 
5,822  speakers  and  writers  whose  names  appear  on  the 


The  World's  Congresses.  453 

printed  programmes,  including1  368  cases  in  which  the 
name  of  the  paper  to  be  read,  or  subject  discussed,  is 
not  given.  These  participants  in  the  congresses  rep- 
resented all  the  continents  of  the  world,  and  ninety- 
seven  nations,  states,  provinces,  territories  and  colo- 
nies, besides  each  of  the  states  and  territories  of 
the  American  Union,  making  a  total  of  147  actually 
represented. 

In  the  cases  of  2,005  of  the  5,822  names  given  in  the 
printed  programmes,  the  residence  of  the  contributor 
is  not  given,  but  the  tables  compiled  show  the  differ- 
ent occasions  on  which  the  3,817  speakers  and  writers 
whose  places  of  residence  appear,  took  part  in  the 
congress  proceedings.  This  extremely  interesting 
exhibit  is  as  follows: 

Europe  803,  Asia  104,  Africa  41,  North  America 
2,770,  South  America  48,  Australasia  39,  Pacific  Islands 
12.  The  places  represented  and  the  number  of  entries 
are:  Algeria  5,  Angola  1,  Arabia  1,  Argentine  7,  Ar- 
menia 1,  Asia  Minor  1,  Australia  8,  Austria  35,  Bavaria 
5,  Belgium  19,  Bohemia  7,  Brazil,  6,  British  Guiana  4, 
Bulgaria  5,  Burmah  1,  Canada  39,  Cape  Colony  3,  Cey- 
lon 6,  Chile  1,  China  14,  Colombia  3,  Congo  3,  Corea  1, 
Costa  Rica  4,  Cuba  3,  Curacoa  2,  Denmark  17,  Ecuador 
3,  Egypt  15,  England  200,  Finland  7,  France  99,  French 
Congo  1,  Germany  112,  Great  Britain  113,  Greece  11, 
Guatemala  1,  Hanover  1,  Hayti  3,  Holland  16,  Hon- 
duras 1,  Hungary  2,  Iceland  5,  India  31,  Ireland  10, 
Italy  52,  Jamaica  2,  Japan  28,  Johore  3,  Liberia  4,  Mad- 
agascar 1,  Manitoba  3,  Mexico  23,  Monaco  1,  New 
Brunswick  2,  New  Hebrides  2,  New  South  Wales  19,  New 
Zealand  1,  Nicaragua  2,  Northwest  Territories  (Canada) 
1,  Norway  9,  Nova  Scotia  1,  Ontario  30,  Orange  Free 
State  3,  Paraguay  4,  Persia  3,  Peru  3,  Poland  3,  Portugal 
7,  Quebec  15,  Roumania  3,  Russia  39,  Sandwich  Islands 
7,  Saxony  1,  Scotland  41,  Siam  4,  Siberia  1,  South  Africa 
3,  South  Australia  3,  Spain  13,  Straits  Settlements  2, 
Sweden  33,  Switzerland  20,  Syria  7,  Transylvania  1, 


454  The  World's  Congresses. 

Trinidad  2,  Tunis  1,  Turkey  11,  United  States  of  Amer- 
ica 2,641,«  Uruguay  3,  Venezuela  9,  Victoria  6,  Wales 
4,  Wurtemberg  1.  The  representation  of  the  United 
States  was  as  follows:  Alabama  20,  Alaska  2,  Arizona 
7,  Arkansas  19,  California  113,  Colorado  34,  Connect- 
icut 50,  Delaware  3,  District  of  Columbia  127,  Florida 
11,  Georgia  35,  Idaho  7,  Illinois  350,  Indiana  85,  Indian 
Territory  1,  Iowa  59,  Kansas  39,  Kentucky  26,  Louis- 
iana 24,  Maine  31,  Maryland  55,  Massachusetts  236, 
Michigan  125,  Minnesota  78,  Mississippi  11,  Missouri 
97,  Montana  8,  Nebraska  28,  Nevada  2,  New  Hamp- 
shire 16,  New  Jersey  48,  New  Mexico  4,  New  York  307, 
North  Carolina  19,  North  Dakota  5,  Ohio  140,  Oregon 
11,  Pennsylvania  156,  Rhode  Island  21,  South  Carolina 
19,  South  Dakota  14,  Tennessee  49,  Texas  29,  Utah  5, 
Vermont  6,  Virginia  21,  Washington  14,  West  Virginia 
6,  Wisconsin  66,  Wyoming  2. 

This  list  embraces,  in  round  numbers,  only  about 
two-thirds  of  the  papers  and  addresses.  It  should, 
therefore,  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  actual  representa- 
tion of  the  several  countries  was  really  much  larger 
than  here  appears. 

The  persons  who  made  addresses  to  these  various 
congresses,  or  sent  papers  to  them  to  be  read,  repre- 
sented in  the  fullest  measure  the  intellectual  forces  of 
their  various  countries,  as  to  their  progress  in  art, 
science,  jurisprudence,  morality,  philosophy  and  relig- 
ion. These  addresses  and  papers  read  were  untram- 
meled  by  advocacy  of  any  special  form  of  government 
or  religion.  Their  incentive  was  to  build  up,  not 
to  tear  down;  to  harmonize  the  noblest  efforts  of  emi- 
nent men,  to  promote  the  general  good  of  all  mankind. 
The  rules  of  the  congresses  forbade  special  pleading, 
approval  or  censure;  but,  if  they  had  not.  most,  if  not 
all,  of  these  persons  were  possessed  of  qualifications 
sufficiently  refined  to  make  this  rule  unnecessary. 
This  immense  congress  Could  not  have  been  governed 
by  ordinary  parliamentary  rules,  because  it  was  not 


The  World' 's  Congresses.  455 

held  as  a  debating  society,  to  be  governed  by  rules  of 
order.  No  one  had  the  right  to  speak,  of  his  own  volition 
in  the  congress  in  which  he  appeared.  Only  persons 
whose  names  were  announced  on  the  programme  had 
the  right  to  be  heard. 

This  parliament  was  an  honor  to  Chicago.  It  was 
a  proof  that  tolerance  and  freedom  of  thought  are  in 
its  air.  Some  clergymen  in  America  made  an  unavail- 
ing protest  against  it,  but  this  protest  was  only  a  ripple 
on  the  great  ocean,  that  is  now  surging  and  rolling 
with  waves  of  liberal  thought  throughout  the  world. 

Volumes  would  be  required  to  give  all  the  impor- 
tant truths  brought  to  light  by  these  congresses;  but 
the  synopsis  of  the  teachings  of  the  Parliament  of 
Religions,  which  appeared  as  an  editorial  in  the  Chi- 
cago Tribune  during  its  closing  week,  is  so  comprehen- 
sive that  it  will,  in  part,  supplv  a  voluminous  report 
of  it. 

Says  the  Tribune:  "There  have  assembled  in  this 
parliament  the  representatives  of  all  the  prominent 
religious  sects  of  the  world.  Christians — Protestant, 
Catholic  and  Greek ;  Hindoos,  Buddhists,  Brahmin 
sects,  Jainists,  Shintoists,  Tendaists,  Shingenists,  Con- 
fucianists,  Mohammedans,  Hebrews,  Parsees,  Ger- 
man Idealists,  Swedenborgians,  Quakers,  Theosophists, 
Christian  Scientists,  the  Salvation  Army,  members  of 
various  societies  of  psychical  research  and  others,  rep- 
resenting offshoots  of  different  faiths,  have  met  in  har- 
mony and  submitted  statements  of  their  beliefs.  The 
importance  of  this  parliament  consists,  first,  in  the  fact 
that  a  clear  statement  of  belief  has  been  made  by  those 
who  are  authorized  to  do  so,  and,  secon^,  in  the  fact 
that  those  whom  we  have  been  accustomed  to  call 
heathens  are  not  so  much  heathens  as  we  imagined. 
Under  some  of  the  religions  lies  the  clear  idea  of  divin- 
ity. Under  all  lies  the  clear  idea  of  morality.  In  a 
general  way  it  has  been  made  apparent  that  Buddhism, 
Mohammedanism  and  Christianity  are  the  three  univer- 


456  The  World's  Congresses. 

sal  ethical  religions,  starting  from  basic  principles  and 
representing  not  the  sentiments  of  this  or  that  nation, 
but  the  aspirations  of  the  heart  of  humanity.  Islam- 
ism,  the  offshoot  of  Judaism  and  Christianity,  acknowl- 
edges the  absolute  sovereignty  of  one  supreme  God,  to 
whom  man  owes  obedience.  It  has  its  angels,  its  judg- 
ment day,  its  resurrection,  its  rewards  and  punish- 
ments. Buddhism  works  out  the  problem  of  final  sal- 
vation from  the  miseries  of  existence  through  the 
agency  of  self-renunciation  and  successive  reincarna- 
tions. At  the  head  of  Christianity  stands  the  God  who 
must  be  worshiped  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 

"But  these  three  ethical  forms  of  religion  are  not  all 
which  have  sprung  from  the  banks  of  the  Nile  and  the 
Euphrates.  The  proceedings  of  the  parliament  have 
shed  a  clear  light  upon  them  and  numerous  others,  and 
have  furnished  volumes  of  information  which  may  be 
summarized  briefly.  Buddhism  has  been  specially  for- 
tunate in  its  expositors.  Its  fundamental  teaching  is 
universal  sympathy  with  all  mankind  and  animal  kind, 
oneness  of  life,  usefulness  of  life,  humanity  and  wis- 
dom in  perfection,  reincarnation,  the  enjoying  or  suf- 
fering in  this  life  of  what  has  been  done  in  past  lives, 
and  by  gradual  development  the  ultimate  absorption  in 
Nirvana,  '  In  the  sense  of  a  Supreme  God, '  said  one  of 
the  speakers— 

' ' '  Buddha  says  that  there  is  no  such  being ;  accept- 
ing the  doctrine  of  evolution  as  the  only  true  one,  with 
the  corollary,  the  law  of  cause  and  effect,  he  condemns 
the  idea  of  a  creator.  But  the  Supreme  God  of  the 
Brahmins  and  the  minor  gods  are  accepted.  But  they 
are  subject  to  the  law  of  cause  and  effect. ' 

"China  comes  to  the  parliament  representing 
three  great  forms  of  religion,  Buddhism,  Taoism  and 
Confucianism.  The  first  two  are  very  similar.  Taoism 
is  the  original  Chinese  religion  in  its  latest  develop- 
ments, while  Confucianism  claims  to  be  a  restoration  of 
the  old  faith  in  pure  forms.  The  latter  is  the  most 


The  World's  Congresses.  457 

interesting-  of  the  three.  It  recognizes  no  Supreme  God. 
All  gods  are  supreme,  each  in  his  own  domain,  and 
their  name  is  legion,  for  the  spirits  of  the  deceased  are 
all- worshiped.  Confucianism  is  based  not  upon  divinity, 
but  upon  humanity,  man  being  considered  the  product 
of  heaven  and  earth.  By  following  the  will  of  the 
former,  man  will  become  perfect,  and  it  is  the  perfect 
man  that  is  the  dream  of  Confucius.  But  of  a  supreme 
being,  of  a  heaven,  of  a  future  life  there  is  little  trace 
in  this  religion,  which  literally  swarms  with  spirits. 

"  Hindooism  has  many  gods,  but  there  is  one  su- 
preme '  God  above  all  gods,  that  One  alone  who  has 
upheld  the  spheres,'  as  the  Veda  puts  it.  Hindooism 
was  well  defined  by  one  of  its  representatives: 

"  'The  Vedas  teach  that  the  soul  is  divine,  only 
held  under  bondage  of  matter,  and  perfection  will  be 
reached  when  the  bond  will  burst,  and  the  word  they 
use  is  therefore  mutki — freedom  from  death  and  mis- 
ery. This  bondage  can  only  fall  off  through  the  mercy 
of  God,  and  this  mercy  comes  on  the  pure.  So  purity 
is  the  condition  of  His  mercy.' 

"  In  a  word,  the  whole  struggle  of  their  system  is 
to  become  perfect  and  divine,  to  reach  God  and  to  see 
God.  '  This  reaching  God,  seeing  God,  becoming  per- 
fect, even  as  the  Father  in  Heaven  is  perfect, '  consti- 
tutes the  religion  of  the  Hindoos.  When  the  body 
dies  the  Hindoo  believes  he  still  will  go  on  living,  for 
the  human  soul  is  eternal,  perfect  and  infinite,  and 
'  death  means  only  a  change  of  center  from  one  body  to 
another.'  Reincarnation,  salvation  by  action  and  the 
unity  of  the  all  are  fundamental  principles  in  the  Hin- 
doo's creed. 

"  The  Parsee  is  a  monotheist.  He  has  but  one 
God,  described  by  Zoroaster  as  '  true,  lucid,  shining, 
all-perfect,  all-powerful  and  all-wise,'  ruler  of  both  the 
material  and  immaterial.  He  believes  in  the  immortal- 
ity of  the  soul.  He  has  his  heaven  (vashishta-ahu), 
his  hell  (achishta-ahu)  and  a  bridge  between  heaven 


458  The  World's  Congresses. 

and  this  world  (chinvat),  where  a  man's  soul  has  to  pre- 
sent a  collective  account  of  the  actions  done  in  the  past 
life.  He  worships  fire,  but  not  as  a  god.  In  the  eyes 
of  the  Parsee  fire  is  the  most  perfect  symbol  of  the 
deity,  '  on  account  of  its  purity,  brightness,  activity, 
subtlety  and  incorruptibility.'  Shintoism,  one  of  the 
old  faiths  of  Japan,  proclaims  that  all  animals  and  men 
are  born  of  one  heavenly  deity,  each  with  its  own  mis- 
sion, hence  love  to  all  is  a  binding  feature  of  its  creed. 
The  Brahmo-Somaj  is  an  offshoot  from  Hindooism.  It 
has  given  up  the  Hindoo  scriptures  as  the  infallible 
law,  and  finds  the  truth  in  all  scriptures.  It  has  ap- 
proximated closely  to  the  Christian  belief,  and  its  God 
is  the  God  of  the  Bible.  It  aims  at  perfection  even  by 
rigid  asceticism  and  sacrifice.  Perhaps  the  most 
clearly  agnostic  creed  presented  in  the  parliament  was 
that  of  the  German  idealists,  who  aim  at  reaching  per- 
fection in  this  life,  because  there  is  no  certainty  of  any 
other  or  of  any  God. 

"This  is  but  a  necessarily  hasty  sketch  of  some 
of  the  Oriential  religions.  It  is  needless  to  character- 
ize Protestantism  or  Judaism  in  any  of  their  forms, 
still  less  to  particularize  the  Chirstian  science,  theo- 
sophical  or  psychical  dogmas  which  are  not  part  of 
established  religions.  What  will  the  outcome  be  ? 
First,  the  adherents  of  all  religions  will  understand 
each  other  better,  and  will  recognize  that  morality 
underlies  every  faith,  and  that  all  are  searching  for  the 
truth,  though  in  different  ways.  Second,  while  no  de- 
nomination will  yield  its  distinctive  tenets,  yet  all  the 
denominations,  meeting  together  for  the  first  time, 
may  have  found  sufficient  in  common  to  engender  a 
broad  and  generous  toleration,  and  forever  suppress 
the  antagonisms  and  persecutions  of  fanaticism. 
Third,  the  parliament  of  religions  may  and  should 
bring  these  followers  of  various  creeds  so  near  each 
other  that  Christians  shall  recognize  there  are  no 
longer  pagans  and  heathens,  at  least  among  the  Orien- 


The  World's  Congresses.  459 

tal  religionists,  but  that  they  are  all  standing  upon  the 
same  plane  of  morality  and  humanity,  and  that  if  the 
fatherhood  of  God  not  yet  has  been  clearly  recognized 
by  all  as  the  Christian  recognizes  it,  the  Christian  at 
least  has  something  to  learn  from  the  Parsee,  the 
Buddhist,  the  Brahman  and  the  Confucian,  of  the 
brotherhood  of  man." 

The  first  congress  was  opened  May  15,  1893,  and 
the  last  session  of  the  series  was  held  October  28,  1893. 
The  newspapers  and  magazines  of  the  United  States 
and  Europe,  which  best  represented  the  intelligence 
and  liberal  spirit  of  the  age,  teemed  with  eulogium  of 
the  auxiliary  congresses,  and  the  manner  in  which  they 
had  been  conducted. 

Professor  F.  Max  Muller,  in  tne  Arena,  pronounces 
it  as  one  of  the  most  memorable  events  in  the  history 
of  the  world. 

Emilio  Castelar,  in  the  Independent,  writes:  "From 
the  beginning  of  the  world,  until  to-day,  history  has 
never  recorded  an  event  so  momentous  as  the  union 
under  one  roof  and  one  leadership  and  for  one  purpose, 
of  the  clergy  of  the  world,  representing  its  chief 
religions." 

Archbishop  Ireland,  said: 

"Patiently,  energetically,  zealously,  for  three 
years  President  Bonney  has  talked  and  acted  for  these 
congresses.  I  have  seen  him  at  all  times  the  master 
of  the  situation,  and  while  bringing  these  congresses 
through  such  a  wonderful  success,  he  has  always  had 
the  tact  to  please  every  one.  No  individual  American 
or  foreigner  crossed  the  threshold  of  this  palace  with- 
out going  away  satisfied  that  American  courtesy  is  not 
inferior  to  that  of  the  highest  civilized  nation  in  the 
world." 

Dr.  Boardman,  of  Philadelphia,  said  "that  these 
congresses  were  the  crown  of  the  Exposition,  and  that 
the  Parliament  of  Religions  was  the  diamond  in  that 
crown." 


460  The  World's  Congresses. 

"In  the  World's  Fair  work,"  said  the  Chicago 
Herald,  "there  is  one  man — Charles  Carroll  Bonney  - 
whose  conduct  has  been  a  combination  of  sweetness 
and  light.  That  he  has  so  borne  himself  as  to  win  the 
regard  of  every  one  is  the  highest  tribute  that  can 
be  paid  him.  He  is  to-day  looked  upon  as  a  per- 
sonal friend  by  men  of  nearly  every  land  beneath 
the  sun." 

"At  the  closing  session  of  the  Parliament  of 
Religions, ' '  says  the  Inter-  Ocean,  ' '  Dr.  Barrows  pre- 
sented PresidentjBonney  as  the  one  to  whom  its  marvel- 
ous success  was  chiefly  due.  It  was  a  great  moment, 
the  culmination  of  a  great  achievement,  and  when 
Mr.  Bonney  came  forward  the  vast  audience  stood 
up,  waved  their  hats  and  handkerchiefs,  and  poured 
upon  him  a  flood  of  gratitude." 

Mr.  Bonney  then  addressed  the  audience  as  fol- 
lows: 

"Worshipers  of  God  and  Lovers  of  Man:  The  clos- 
ing words  of  this  great  event  must  now  be  spoken. 
With  inexpressible  joy  and  gratitude  I  give  them 
utterance.  The  wonderful  success  of  this  first  actual 
congress  of  the  religions  of  the  world  is  the  realiza- 
tion of  a  conviction  which  has  held  my  heart  for 
many  years.  I  became  acquainted  with  the  great 
religious  systems  of  the  world  in  my  youth,  and  have 
enjoyed  an  intimate  association  with  leaders  of  many 
churches  during  my  maturer  years.  I  was  thus  led 
to  believe  that,  if  the  great  religious  faiths  could  be 
brought  into  relations  of  friendly  intercourse,  many 
points  of  sympathy  and  union  would  be  found,  and 
the  coming  unity  of  mankind  in  the  love  of  God  and 
the  service  of  man  be  greatly  facilitated  and  advanced. 
Hence  when  the  occasion  arose  it  was  gladly  wel- 
comed, and  the  effort  more  than  willingly  made. 

"What  men  deemed  impossible,  God  has  finally 
wrought.  The  religions  of  the  world  have  actually 
met  in  a  great  and  imposing  assembly;  they  have  con- 


The  World's  Congresses.  461 

ferred  together  on  the  vital  questions  of  life  and 
immortality  in  a  frank  and  friendly  spirit,  and  now 
they  part  in  peace  with  many  warm  expressions  of 
mutual  affection  and  respect. 

"The  laws  of  the  congress  forbidding  controversy 
or  attack,  have,  on  the  whole,  been  wonderfully  ob- 
served. The  exceptions  are  so  few  that  they  may  well 
be  expunged  from  the  record  and  from  the  memory. 
They  even  served  the  useful  purpose  of  timely  warn- 
ings against  the  tendency  to  indulge  in  intellectual 
conflict.  If  an  unkind  hand  threw  a  firebrand  into 
the  assembly,  let  us  be  thankful  that  a  kinder  hand 
plunged  it  in  the  waters  of  forgiveness  and  quenched 
its  flame. 

HINDOO    RETORT   COURTEOUS. 

"If  some  western  warrior,  forgetting  for  the  mo- 
ment that  this  was  a  friendly  conference  and  not  a 
battlefield,  uttered  his  war  cry,  let  us  rejoice,  that  our 
Orient  friends,  with  a  kinder  spirit  answered:  Father, 
forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  say. 

"No  system  of  faith  or  worship  has  been  compro- 
mised by  this  friendly  conference;  no  apostle  of  any 
religion  has  been  placed  in  a  false  position  by  any 
act  of  this  congress.  The  knowledge  here  acquired 
will  be  carried  by  those  who  have  gained  it  as  a  precious 
treasure  to  their  respective  countries,  and  will  there, 
in  freedom  and  according  to  reason,  be  considered, 
judged  and  applied  as  they  shall  deem  right. 

"The  influence  which  this  congress  of  the  re- 
ligions of  the  world  will  exert  on  the  peace  and  the 
prosperity  of  the  world  is  beyond  the  power  of  human 
language  to  describe.  For  this  influence,  borne  by 
those  who  have  attended  the  sessions  of  the  parlia- 
ment of  religions  to  all  parts  of  the  world,  will  affect 
in  some  important  degree  all  races  of  men,  all  forms 
of  religion,  and  even  all  governments  and  social  in- 
stitutions. 


462  The  World's  Congresses. 

"  And  now  farewell.  A  thousand  congratulations 
and  thanks  for  the  co-operation  and  aid  of  all  who 
have  contributed  to  the  glorious  results  which  we 
celebrate  this  night.  Henceforth  the  religions  of  the 
world  will  make  war,  not  on  each  other,  but  on  the 
giant  evils  that  afflict  mankind.  Henceforth  let  all 
throughout  the  world  who  worship  God  and  love  their 
fellow-men,  join  in  the  anthem  of  the  angels: 

Glory  to  God  in  the  highest! 

Peace  on  earth,  good  will  among  men!  " 

CATHOLIC   BISHOP'S   PRAYER. 

At  the  close  of  President  Bonney's  speech,  Rabbi 
Hirsch  led  the  great  audience  in  the  universal  prayer. 
Bishop  Keane  then  said  a  prayer  of  benediction. 

The  audience,  led  by  the  chorus,  sang  "America." 
In  the  meantime  the  foreign  delegates,  led  by  Dr. 
Barrows,  passed  into  the  Hall  of  Washington,  where 
the  closing  solemnities  of  prayer  and  benediction  were 
repeated.  Thus  came  to  an  end  the  first  great  parlia- 
ment of  the  religions  of  the  world. 


YOUNG  MEN'S  ASSOCIATION. 

In  the  history  of  all  large  cities  physical  conditions 
are  the  first  things  to  be  recorded,  for  these  are  the 
superstructure  of  the  whole.  In  no  disrespectful  sense, 
they  are  the  mud-sills  of  the  edifice. 

"  The  foot  ordained  the  dust  to  tread." 

These  physical  conditions  are  as  necessary  to  the 
fulfillment  of  the  ultimate  aim  of  human  amenities  as 
the  trunk  of  a  tree  is  to  the  production  of  fruit  on  its 
branches.  Science,  literature  and  art  are  brought  into 
being,  and  human  affections  sharpened  into  activity  by 
the  first  means  used,  whereby  mankind  may  live,  and 
grow,  and  multiply. 

That  Chicago  was  a  genial  atmosphere  for  all  this, 
and  that  her  canal  and  the  ambition  of  her  early  citizens, 
who  had  more  to  hope  for  than  to  lose,  were  an  assur- 
ance of  their  fulfillment,  has  since  been  demonstrated 
by  the  growth  of  the  higher  branches  of  industry  begun 
here,  such  as  books,  periodicals,  schools  and  universi- 
ties, constituting  the  fruit  that  grows  on  such  trunks, 
as  railroad  and  warehouse  interests,  banking  and  trading 
interests,  and  stock,  bond  and  money  interests.  These 
latter  are  the  servants  of  the  mind,  subject  to  the  whim- 
sical dictation  of  passion;  the  magnanimity  of  man's 
noblest  nature  or  the  self-sacrificing  policy  of  the 
miser. 

The  first  population  of  Chicago  was  composed 
largely  of  young  men,  who,  thanks  to  their  inheritance, 
felt  the  need  of  something  above  the  grade  of  corner 
lots,  and  to  this  end,  as  well  as  through  a  laudable 

(463) 


464  Young  Men's  Association. 

ambition  to  do  something  for  posterity,  they  took  early 
measures  to  secure  the  means  of  intellectual  improve- 
ment to  themselves  and  others  by  establishing  read- 
ing rooms.  As  early  as  1838  the  Hon.  Mark  Skinner, 
Judge  Hugh  T.  Dickey  and  others  were  instrumental  in 
starting  a  reading  room;  but  from  the  small  number  of 
subscribers  obtained  it  was  found  that  the  yearly  ex- 
pense to  each  member  was  $10.  This  could  not  be,  and 
was  not  long  sustained,  but  abandoned  for  want  of  funds. 
In  1840  two  other  young  men,  Major  Seth  T.  Otis  and 
Dr.  Sidney  Sawyer,  both  from  the  city  of  Albany,  in  the 
state  of  New  York,  were  foremost  in  advocating  and 
discussing  with  the  citizens  a  plan  for  a  reading  room 
and  lectures  at  a  trifling  expense  to  each  member,  by 
bringing  into  such  an  association  all  the  mechanics  in 
the  city,  as  well  as  merchants  and  their  clerks,  and  all 
professional  men.  These  young  gentlemen  had  be- 
longed to  such  an  association  in  Albany,  and  believed 
the  thing  could  be  done  in  Chicago  on  a  smaller  scale. 
Judges  Dickey  and  Skinner  and  William  B.  Ogden  and 
others  gave  it  their  approval,  and,  January,  1841, 
Walter  L.  Newberry,  Mark  Skinner,  Hugh  T.  Dickey, 
Peter  Page,  Walter  S.  Gurnee,  Dr.  Sidney  Sawyer,  Will- 
iam L.  Church  and  others  met  at  the  common  council 
rooms  of  Chicago  to  establish  a  reading  room  and  or- 
ganize a  young  men's  association.  It  was  decided  that 
an  effort  in  /this  direction  should  be  made,  and  if  100 
subscribers  were  obtained  at  a  tax  of  $2  annually  to 
each,  the  Association  should  be  started  upon  that  basis. 
Judge  Skinner  drew  up  the  subscription  paper,  and 
each  person  present  signed  it,  and  it  was  left  with  Major 
Otis  to  see  how  many  subscribers  he  and  other  volun- 
teers could  obtain. 

Then  commenced  the  canvass  through  the  mud  and 
slush  of  early  Chicago.  Notice  was  given  through  the 
papers  that  the  subscribers  were  to  have  a  meeting.  It 
took  place  on  February  6  in  a  building  on  Clark  street, 
near  where  the  Sherman  house  now  stands.  Nearly 


Young  Men's  Association.  465 

every  subscriber  was  present;  much  satisfaction  was 
expressed,  and  cheers  were  raised  when  Mr.  Otis  hung 
across  the  chairman's  desk  the  long1  subscription  paper 
of  200  names,  and  put  a  package  of  $400  cash  into  his 
hands  as  the  result  of  the  canvass.  This  was  double 
the  requirement,  and  all  were  jubilant,  and,  when  the 
chairman  asked,  "What  is  your  pleasure,  gentlemen?" 
a  member  moved  that  the  $400  cash  on  hand  should  be 
considered  as  initiation  fees,  etc.,  used  in  fitting  up  a 
room  for  the  use  of  the  Association.  It  was  carried 
unanimously,  and  a  tax  of  $2  per  annum  was  voted  to 
sustain  the  Association,  which  was  very  properly  called 
"The  Young  Men's  Association."  A  constitution  was 
adopted,  in  which  the  objects  of  the  Association  were 
declared  to  be  to  establish  and  maintain  a  reading 
room  and  library;  to  procure  literary  and  scientific 
lecturers,  and  to  promote  the  intellectual  improvement 
of  its  members.  The  first  election,  says  Mr.  Page,  was 
a  novelty,  and  made  from  policy  an  object  of  much 
interest  and  amusement  to  the  citizens.  There  were 
five  tickets  in'  the  field — the  Regular,  the  Opposition, 
the  Lawyers',  the  Respectable  and  the  Whole  Hog  ticket 
—which  last  was  headed  by  a  full  picture  of  this  animal. 
The  regular  ticket  prevailed,  and  Walter  Newberry  was 
chosen  president;  Mark  Skinner,  vice-president;  Hugh 
T.  Dickey,  corresponding  secretary;  Leroy  M.  Boyce, 
recording  secretary,  and  Walter  Vail,  treasurer.  The 
managers  were:  Charles  R.  Starkweather,  Peter  Page, 
Walter  S.  Gurnee,  Francis  S.  Howe,  Norman  B.  Judd  and 
Charles  Sturtevant.  A  reading  room  was  fitted  up  in 
the  second  story  of  Scammon's  building,  southeast  cor- 
ner of  Clark  and  Lake  streets,  under  the  supervision  of 
Peter  Page,  and  was  supplied  with  the  principal  news- 
papers and  periodicals  of  the  time,  and  the  Association 
was  pronounced  a  success. 

In  the  spring  of  1841  a  ball  was  given  by  its  man- 
agers at  the  Lake  house,  on  the  North  Side,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  library  fund,  and  here  were  gathered 


466  Young  Men's  Association. 

the  true  representatives  of  Chicago  —  promise  for 
future  advancement  in  the  higher  walks  'of  life.  The 
object  was  a  literary  one,  and  of  course  the  blandish- 
ments of  the  ball  lent  an  additional  charm.  Under 
this  double  incentive  the  ladies  turned  out  in  effective 
force,  notwithstanding  that  the  mud  in  the  streets  was 
axle  deep. 

Frink  and  Walker's  stagecoaches  plowed  through 
it  with  their  fair  charge,  and  made  the  enterprise  a 
social  as  well  as  utilitarian  success.  Those  days  were 
too  early  for  the  professional  lecturer  to  come  to 
Chicago,  but  this  deficiency  was  satisfactorily  sup- 
plied by  home  talent.  Hon.  Mark  Skinner  began  the 
course  with  a  lecture  before  the  Association  on, 
"Finance  and  the  Illinois  School  Fund";  Dr.  Sawyer 
followed  on  "Mesmerism";  Major  Otis  on  "True 
Mercantile  Character";  Dr.  Brainard  on  "Physi- 
ology," and  other  members  of  the  Association  on  sub- 
jects of  interest  in  that  day.  The  nucleus  for  a  library 
was  provided  for  by  a  selection  of  books  presented  by 
Walter  L.  Newberry,  April  24,  1841;  which  was  soon 
enlarged  by  donations  from  S.  Lisle  Smith,  William  B. 
Ogden,  W.  H.  Clark,  Dr.  Sawyer,  and  other  citizens 
and  members  of  the  Association. 

The  Association  soon  afterward  occupied  larger 
and  pleasanter  quarters  in  the  old  saloon  building, 
corner  of  Lake  and  Clark  streets.  From  thence  it  was 
removed  to  Warner's  block,  on  Randolph  street.  From 
thence  to  95  Washington  street,  from  thence  to  Port- 
land block,  and  from  thence,  in  1867,  to  Metropolitan 
block,  corner  Randolph  and  La  Salle  streets,  where 
it  remained  till  the  great  fire  of  October  9,  1871.  Ever 
since  the  Association  had  been  established,  it  had 
served  the  purposes  for  which  it  had  been  inaugu- 
rated, satisfactorily  to  its  founders  and  the  people  of 
Chicago;  but  an  increase  of  books  to  supply  the  liter- 
ary wants  of  this  growing  city  was  pressing.  A  good 
source  of  income  to  the  Association  was  through  public 


Chicago  Library  Association.  467 

lectures,  and  great  efforts  were  made  to  secure  the 
best  talent  for  this  service.  In  this  respect,  it  may  be 
interesting  to  state  that  in  the  spring  of  1861,  the 
celebrated  Wendell  Phillips  was  engaged  to  lecture 
at  Bryan  ball,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Association, 
on  slavery  and  the  war.  The  war  issue  had  not  yet 
been  decided  by  the  sword,  and  there  was  a  kind  of 
nondescript  element  that  opposed  the  sentiments  of 
which  Mr.  Phillips  was  so  able  an  exponent.  George 
S.  Bowen  was  then  President  of  the  Association,  and 
it  was  due  to  his  prudential  action  (in  providing  seventy- 
five  policemen  to  preserve  order  in  the  hall)  that  riotous 
opposition  was  prevented.  At  the  end  of  the  year,  by 
his  good  management  in  securing  the  services  of  popu- 
lar lecturers,  the  indebtedness  of  the  Association, 
amounting  to  over  $5,000,  was  paid,  and  a  balance  was 
left  in  the  treasury  of  nearly  $2,000. 

The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  had  already 
been  well  organized,  and  placed  on  a  permanent  footing. 

The  names  of  these  two  organizations  being  so 
similar,  some  confusion  arose  as  to  the  identity  of  each. 
To  prevent  this,  early  in  1868  Bryan  Lathrop  introduced- 
a  bill  in  the  library  board  to  change  the  old  name  from 
the  Young  Men's  to  the  Chicago  Library  Associa- 
tion. His  bill  having  received  the  sanction  of  the 
library  board,  he  procured  an  act  of  the  legislature  of 
Illinois,  authorizing  this  change  of  title,  hence  the 
name,  Chicago  Library  Association,  became  officially 
recognized  thereafter.  Since  Mr.  Bowen's  administra- 
tion the  high  character  of  the  lecture  course  was  sus- 
tained, but  at  no  time  after  that  period  was  there  any 
large  balance  in  the  treasury;  and  as  already  stated,  an 
increase  of  the  number  of  volumes  in  the  library  was 
necessary  to  keep  the  literary  and  financial  interests  of 
the  city  abreast  with  each  other. 

An  abstract  from  the  report  of  November  22,  1871, 
the  next  month  after  the  great  fire,  will  explain  the 
situation.  Thomas  D.  Lowther,  at  the  request  of  cer- 


468  Chicago  Library  Association. 

tain  life  members  and  subscribers  to  the  library,  made 
a  report  *  to  William  Bross,  the  president,  showing  the 
extent  of  the  losses  and  the  available  means  wherewith 
to  reorganize  and  reproduce  a  new  library,  as  follows: 
' '  The  value  of  our  burned  library,  as  stated  by  the 
ex- president,  Chas.  C.  Bonney,  in  March,  was  estimated 
at  $42,470;  number  of  books,  over  30,000.  The  usual 
insurance  of  $15,000  had  been  suffered  to  expire  for 
want  of  funds.  The  debts  of  the  Association  were 
$3,200.  The  assets  were  $70;  a  life  members'  fund  of 
$1,100,  and  a  Thomas  B.  Bryan  fund  of  $250,  both  held 
in  trust  for  specific  uses.  By  consent  these  funds  were 
distributed,  and  gave  a  dividend  of  over  50  per  cent  to 
creditors.  Its  other  effects  were  between  300  and  400 
books  saved  from  the  fire  by  being  in  the  homes  of 
members;  200  or  300  volumes  of  the  very  valuable  re- 
ports of  British  patents  then  awaiting  our  order  (with 
cash)  to  be  bound  by  our  binder  in  London,  and  a  small 
number  of  books  that  had  already  been  collected  by  A. 
H.  Burgess  and  associates  in  London,  '  to  replace, '  as 
he  said,  '  our  burned  library  ...  as  a  mark  of 
sympathy  now,  and  a  keepsake  and  token  of  true 
brotherly  kindness  forever.'  Notwithstanding  the 
cheering  prospect  presented  by  Mr.  Burgess,  of  a 
British  gift  library,  it  was  still  a  question  whether  the 
old  Chicago  Library  Association  should  be  revived,  and, 
if  so,  how.  The  report  proceeds:  'Wise  men  are  be- 
ginning to  agree  that  every  metropolitan  city  needs  a 
public  library,  supported  by  taxation,  for  many  reasons 
besides  the  obvious  one  of  supplementing  and  complet- 
ing our  common  school  system  of  education. '  As  a 
consequence,  one  or  more  bills  to  authorize  public 
libraries  had  been  brought  before  the  legislature  of 
Illinois,  at  the  time  of  the  fire.  To  these  efforts  much 
credit  is  due  for  bringing  public  opinion  up  to  the  taxa- 
tion point. 

*See  page  84,  "  Memorials  of  the  old  Chicago  Library  and  the 
Advent  of  the  New  Chicago  Public  Library."  Edited,  1878,  by  T.  D. 
Lowther. 


Chicago  Library  Association.  469 

The  report  further  suggested,  "That  should  any 
enabling  act  for  this  purpose  fail  to  be  passed  in  the 
legislature,  the  old  Association  might  unite  with  the 
Michigan  Avenue  Library  Association,"  which  had 
sprung  into  existence  after  the  fire,  and  had  already 
obtained  from  booksellers  and  sympathizers  in  eastern 
cities,  in  the  name  and  for  the  use  of  destitute  Chicago, 
several  thousand  books,  to  which  collection,  as  to  a  pub- 
lic property,  many  of  our  own  citizens  had  contributed. 

In  order  to  understand  the  real  situation,  it  will  be 
necessary  to  refer  back  to  the  financial  condition  of 
the  old  library  previous  to  the  fire.  For  several  years 
before  the  fire  of  October,  1871,  the  receipts  of  the 
Chicago  Library  had  been  less  than  its  expenses.  A 
crisis  had  been  averted  only  by  donations  from  its 
friends.  The.  retiring  president,  Chas.  C.  Bonney, 
presented  at  the  annual  meeting,  March  27,  1871,  sev- 
eral plans  for  securing  to  the  library  a  sufficient  and 
stable  support.  Judge  W.  W.  Farwell  offered  to  give 
to  ithe  Association  commodious  rooms,  rent  free  for 
ten  years,  provided  $15,000  in  cash  were  raised  to  meet 
its  necessities.  On  this  basis  $3,000  were  then  and 
there  pledged  by  Governor  Bross,  E.  L.  Brown  and 
Thomas  D.  Lowther;  -but  the  outlook  was  not  promis- 
ing. Every  scheme  proposed  seemed  to  its  members 
inadequate  to  the  growing  wants  of  the  future  great 
city.  There  was  good  hope  of  getting  a  public  library 
supported  by  taxation,  and  for  that  they  preferred  to 
wait  and  work. 

At  the  annual  election,  March  2,  1871,  an  effort 
was  made  by  members  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  Library  (of  6,000  volumes)  to  absorb  the 
Chicago  Library  Association  (of  30,000  volumes),  by 
uniting  them  and  electing  a  ticket  favorable  to  such  a 
union;  but  this  attempt  miscarried,  and  the  old  Library 
Association  continued  its  work  alone  in  its  own  broader 
mission,  as  it  had  begun.  April  1,  1871,  ex-Governor 
Bross  was  chosen  president,  six  months  later  the 


470  Chicago  Library  Association. 

library  was  burned,  and  just  one  year  after,  on  April 
1,  1872,  the  Chicago  Public  Library  was  established  by 
order  of  the  city  council. 

So  nearly  total  had  been  the  destruction  of  the  old 
Chicago  Library  by  this  conflagration,  and  so  complete 
the  discouragement  of  the  members  of  the  Association, 
that  Mr.  Lowther,  finding  none  of  its  officers  willing  or 
able  in  that  time  of  general  distress  to  attend  to  its 
affairs,  consented  to  give  up  his  usual  southern  residence 
for  the  winter  and  undertake  the  work  (which  he  de- 
scribed as  a  self-condemnation  to  hard  labor  for  the  next 
six  months)  of  investigating  its  affairs  and  prospects, 
and  report  on  the  question  of  its  resuscitation  ;  and,  if 
it  could  not  be  revived,  bury  it  decently.  This  was 
the  way  Mr.  Lowther  came  to  be  receiver  for  the  old 
library  and  an  important  promoter  of  the  new. 

As  an  initiatory  step  to  this  end,  at  his  own 
expense  he  sent  the  old  librarian,  John  Robson  (him- 
self an  Englishman),  to  London,  to  solicit  from  the 
commissioner  of  patents  a  renewal  to  us  of  the  several 
hundred  volumes  of  their  very  valuable  reports,  which 
were  burned,  uninsured,  as  the  possession  of  these  im- 
portant and  rare  books  alone  would  be  equal  to  a  found- 
ation for  any  library.  The  series  consisted  of  3,000  vol- 
umes. The  report  concluded  by  saying  that,  "  If  the 
legislature  does  its  part,  and  the  proposed  library  bill 
becomes  a  law,  Chicago  would  probably  possess  within 
a  year  a  magnificent  library,  aggregating  20,000  vol- 
umes, which  our  large  hearted  British  brethren  had 
begun  to  gather  up  for  us,  to  replace  the  one  lost;  but, 
in  case  the  legislature  should  fail  us,  and  the  friends  of 
the  Chicago  Library  Association  should  determine  to 
resuscitate  it,  an  attempt  might  again  be  made  to 
obtain  enough  funds  for  that  purpose  by  stock  sub- 
scription of  our  citizens."  No  action  on  this  report 
was  taken,  the  members  choosing  to  await  events. 

After  the  destruction  of  all  the  libraries  of  Chicago 
by  the  fire  of  1871,  Mr.  A.  Hutton  Burgess,  of  London, 


Chicago  Library  Association.  471 

proposed  and  advocated  in  the  newspapers  of  London, 
November  1  and  3,  1871,  and  in  the  .New  York  papers, 
December  6,  same  year,  the  giving  of  a  free  library  to 
Chicago,  to  replace  its  loss.  This  project  found  favor 
with  the  Anglo-American  Association  (of  which  Thomas 
Hughes,  M.  P.  a  former  friend  of  America,  was  presi- 
dent), which  firms  then  made  an  appeal  to  the  authors, 
publishers,  scientific  societies  and  literary  institutions 
of  Great  Britain  for  donations  of  books  for  the  free 
library,  in  the  following  circular  : 

CIRCULAR. 

(Distributed  by  the  Anglo-American  Association.) 

CHICAGO  NEW  LIBRARY. 


MR.  T.  HUGHES,  Q.  C.,  M.  P.,  9  OLD  SQUARE,  LINCOLN'S 
INN,  CHAIRMAN  ;  SIR  JOHN  ROSE,  K.  C.,  M.  G.,  1  BAR- 
THOLOMEW LANE,  E.  C.,  HON.  TREASURER;  MR.  A. 
HUTTON  BURGESS,  136  STRAND,  HON.  SECRETARY. 


. . 


The  gift  by  the  people  of  England  of  a  new 
library  to  Chicago  is-  intended  to  be  a  mark  of  sympa- 
thy now,  and  a  token  of  that  sentiment  of  kinship 
which,  independently  of  circumstances  and  irrespec- 
tively of  every  other  consideration,  must  ever  exist 
between  the  different  branches  of  the  English  race. 

' '  Accordingly,  while  the  home  literature  of  the 
present  day  and  of  the  last  100  years  will  form  an  im- 
portant portion  of  the  new  library,  the  characteristic 
feature  of  the  gift  will  consist  in  sending  to  the  Ameri- 
cans, works  of  the  preceding  thirteen  centuries,  which 
are  the  common  inheritance  of  both  peoples. 

"  While,  therefore,  authors,  publishers  and  book- 
sellers are  invited  to  co-operate  in  furnishing  a  com- 
plete collection  of  modern  works  in  all  departments  of 
literature — general  and  professional — the  public  gener- 
ally, and  especially  the  owners  of  large  private  libra- 
ries, the  heads  of  societies,  and  the  representatives  of 


472  Chicago  Library  Association. 

distinguished  and  historic  names,  are  invited  to  send 
donations  of  old  books  of  all  sorts,  and  of  money  for 
purchasing-  rare  works,  so  as  to  give  completeness  to 
the  gift  as  a  national  act. 

' '  Donations  of  books  addressed,  '  Chicago  New 
Library.'  will  be  received  at  No.  136  Strand,  London, 
W.  C. ;  or  they  may  be  forwarded  direct  to  the  Crystal 
Palace,  Sydenham,  where  the  collection  is  being 
arranged  and  stored.  Donations  of  money  to  be  sent 
to  the  honorable  treasurer.  Every  book  will  bear  the 
donor's  name,  and  a  list  of  all  donations  will  be  ulti- 
mately printed  and  copies  will  be  sent  to  Chicago." 

Among  many  hundreds  of  donations  already  re- 
ceived or  announced  are  those  from : 

H.  M.  The  Queen.  Messrs.  Longmans  Co. 

The  Duke  of  Argyle.  The  Marquis  of  Lome. 

The  Lords  Corn's  of  Admiralty.  Proprietors  of  the  Law  Reports. 

The     Proprietors  of    the    Athe-  Sir  John  Lubbock,  Bart, 

nasum.  Messrs.  Macmillan  &  Co. 

The  British  Museum.  Mr.  John  Murray. 

The  University  of  Cambridge.  The  University  of  Oxford. 

The  Camden  Society.  Sir  F.  Pollock,  Bart. 

Mr.  Carlyle.  Sir  R.  Palmer,  M.  P. 

The  Com.  of  Council  on  Education.  The  Patent  Office. 

Lord  Alfred  Churchill,  M.  P.  The  Religious  Tract  Society. 

Mr.  Disraeli,  M.  P.  Lord  Romily — the  Record  Office. 

The  Archbishop  of  Dublin.  The  Social  Science  Association. 

Early  English  Text  Society.  Messrs.  Smith,  Elder  &  Co. 

Mr.  Evelyn.  Mr.  Herbert  Spencer. 

Mr.  Forster,  M.  P.  Dr.  William  Smith. 

Mr.  Furnival,  M.  A.  Professor  Tyndall. 

The  Royal  Geographical  Society.  Mr.  Tennyson. 

Mr.  Gladstone,  M.  P.  Sir  Chas.  Trevelyan,  Bart. 

Lord  Houghton.  The  Royal  United  Service  Insti- 
Earl  of  Kimberly,  Colonial  Office.        tution,  etc.* 
Sir  C.  Lyell,  Bart.,  F.  R.  S. 

Under  this  appeal  books  began  ,to  come  in  until 
certain  members  of  the  American  colony  in  London 
assumed  that,  "begging  of  books"  was  inconsistent 
with  the  independence  of  Chicago,  and  positively  hu- 
miliating. Upon  this  hypothesis  our  British  friends 
ceased  from  their  (reported  thankless)  endeavors,  and 
stored  the  books  already  donated  (some  600  volumes 

*  Publishers  and  others  who  may  wish  to  communicate  with  au- 
thors or  friends  on  the  subject  are  informed  that  copies  of  this  circu- 
lar and  printed  labels  for  easy  exhibition  of  autographs  can  be  had  on 
application  at  136  Strand  London,  W.  C. 


Chicago  Library  Association.  473 

only)  in  the  Crystal  Palace,  subject  to  our  order.  The 
British  Museum  presented  all  its  publications;  the 
University  of  Oxford,  the  publications  of  the  Univer- 
sity Press,  of  which  about  250  volumes  were  elegantly 
bound,  and  were  stamped  with  the  University  seal. 
The  commissioners  of  patents  gave  a  complete  set  of 
the  British  patents;  the  master  of  the  rolls,  a  set  of  the 
Chronicles  and  Memorials  of  Great  Britain,  and  Calen- 
dar of  State  Papers,  and  many  of  the  most  prominent 
writers  in  the  kingdom  gave  their  works.  The  rela- 
tives of  deceased  authors,  as  Lord  Macaulay  and  Dr. 
Arnold,  of  Rugby,  donated  complete  sets  of  their  writ- 
ings; Her  Majesty  the  Queen  gave  "The  Early  Life 
of  the  Prince  Consort,"  inscribed  with  her  autograph, 
and  bearing  this  book  plate: 

PRESENTED     TO     THE    CITY    OF    CHICAGO 

Toward  the  formation  of  a  free  library,  after  the  great  fire  of  1871, 
as  a  mark  of  English  sympathy, 

BY  HER   MAJESTY,  THE  QUEEN  VICTORIA. 

A  similar  book  plate,  with  the  name  of  the  donor 
changed,  was  placed  in  nearly  all  the  gifts.  But  there 
was,  until  January,  1872,  no  library  to  receive  these 
books,  and  no  law  of  our  state  under  which  a  free 
public  library  could  be  organized. 

Meantime  and  before  this  misrepresentation,  our 
librarian,  Mr.  Robson,  was  not  idle  in  London.  He 
reported  to  Mr.  Lowther  that  the  sympathy  felt  in 
England  for  our  loss  was  sincere,  and  that  donations 
of  books  might  with  little  effort  be  secured,  if  he  were 
commissioned  authoritatively  to  collect;  whereupon, 
early  in  December,  a  resolution  was  passed  by  the 
Chicago  Library  Association,  empowering  him  by  let- 
ter from  its  president,  ex-Governor  Bross,  and  others, 
to  receive  donations  of  books,  "  In  the  name  of  the  old 
library,  if  revived,  or  of  any  new  free  public  library 
that  might  be  established,  into  which  the  old  one 
would  be  merged."  Furnished  with  these  credentials 
and  a  pledge  from  Mr.  Lowther  to  raise  the  necessary 


474  Chicago  Library  Association. 

funds,  Mr.  Robson  —  as  soon  as  the  "Hughes  collect- 
ing "  (as  it  was  called)  was  suspended  and  prematurely 
closed  —  prepared  an  appeal  for  books,  by  a  circular 
intended  to  be  sent  to  literary  and  other  societies  of 
Great  Britain;  but  before  this  was  done  news  came 
to  him  that  the  creation  of  a  free  public  library  for 
Chicago  was  then  assured;  and  a  few  days  later  he 
received  from  Mr.  Lowther  an  official  letter,  obtained 
by  him  from  the  mayor  of  Chicago,  giving  Mr.  Robson 
authority  to  receive  in  the  name  of  Chicago  the  prom- 
ised collection  of  books. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  letter  : 
"MR.     JOHN    ROBSON,     LATE    LIBRARIAN    CHICAGO 

LIBRARY  : 

"Sir:  It  is  understood  here  that  you  are  operating 
in  London,  obtaining  contributions  of  books  for  the 
Chicago  library,  lately  destroyed  by  fire,  or  for  the 
new  free  ' '  City  Library, ' '  into  which  it  may  be 
merged. 

"It  is  also  understood  that  Thomas  Hughes,  M.  P., 
and  associates,  Anglo-American,  have — with  a  wise 
forecast  and  a  large  liberality  that  do  honor  to  the 
British  nation — already  gathered  for  the  free  library, 
to  be  founded  in  Chicago,  a  considerable  collection  of 
books,  which  are  now  in  the  Crystal  Palace,  Lon- 
don, and  elsewhere,  awaiting  transportation  to  this 
country. 

"We  have  no  further  information  as  to  the  plans 
of  these  gentlemen,  whether  they  purpose  forwarding 
the  books  direct  to  Chicago,  or  whether  they  would 
prefer  to  deliver  them  to  an  agent  appointed  by  us  to 
receive  them  in  London, .when  their  generous  labors  in 
our  behalf  shall  finally  be  closed. 

"If,  on  proper  inquiry  delicately  made,  you  shall 
ascertain  the  latter  to  be  the  fact,  you  are  hereby 
authorized  to  receive  the  books  for  the  city  of  Chicago 
whenever  they  shall  be  presented.  We  will  then  pro- 
vide for  their  shipment  home,  and  -make  what  feeble 


Chicago  Library  Association.  475, 

acknowledgments  we  can  for  the  kindness  and  spon- 
taneous munificence  of  the  donors. 

"CHICAGO,  January  12,  1872. 

"JOSEPH  MEDILL,  Mayor." 

When  the  credentials  were  shown  they  were  held 
to  be  a  quasi-sanction  by  the  citizens  of  Chicago  of 
what  had  been  erroneously  styled,  "A  begging  of 
books";  and  then  all  opposition  ceased.  Mr.  Hughes 
and  associates,  taking  a  correct  view  of  the  improved 
situation,  decided  to  resume  the  abandoned  work.  They 
saw  the  advantage  of  co-operation,  felt  the  necessity 
for  help,  and  finding  our  librarian,  Mr.  Robson,  emi- 
nently capable  and  zealous,  they  complimented  him 
and  us  by  inviting  his  assistance  in  their  work.  The 
former  machinery  was  again  set  .in  motion.  The  fol- 
lowing appeal,  inclosing  a  new  circular  from  the  Anglo- 
American  Association,  was  printed  and  distributed: 

CIRCULAR. 

"LONDON,  136  Strand. 

"  Sir:  With  this  you  will  receive  a  circular 
relative  to  the  English  gift  of  books  to  the  free  public 
library  of  Chicago,  United  States,  which  is  to  replace 
those  destroyed  at  the  great  fire,  October,  1871.  The 
representative  of  the  mayor  and  citizens  of  Chicago  is 
now  in  London,  on  library  business,  and  we  wish  the 
gift  so  complete  that  we  can  hand  it  over  to  him  before 
his  return.  We  shall,  therefore,  feel  obliged  if  you  will 
assist  us  in  our  efforts  to  make  it  worthy  of  the  country 
by  kindly  adding  your  donation. 

"We  remain,  yours  sincerely, 
"T.  HUGHES,  Chairman. 
"A.  HUTTON  BURGESS,  Hon.  Secretary." 

Thenceforward  most  of  the  great  labor  of  seeking 
and  getting  in  the  gift  books  was  done  by  Mr.  Robson, 
the  librarian  of  the  old  Chicago  library,  as  the  collector 
under  the  Anglo-American  Association  of  contributions 
to  our  new  public  one,  we  furnishing  the  man  and 
means  to  carry  through  their  grand  scheme  with  what 


476  Chicago  Library  Association. 

measure  of  success  it  had,  by  putting-  to  their  fullest 
use  their  prestige,  name  and  influence.  Each  seemed 
necessary  to  the  other.  "  If  it  had  not  been  for  you, ' ' 
said  Mr.  Hughes  to  Mr.  Robson,  "  I  don't  think  we 
should  have  got  another  hundred  books,  all  told." 
Some  remuneration  for  Mr.  Robson's  services  and  at- 
tendant labors  was  paid  by  subscription  of  the  follow- 
ing citizens  of  Chicago  : 

Thomas  D.  Lowther,  $51.25  ;  E.  S.'  Evarts,  $15  ;  E. 
L.  Brown,  $50;  Doggett/Bassett  &  Hills,  $100  ;  R.  T. 
Crane,  $25  ;  W.  H.  Lotz,  $2  ;  Furst  &  Bradley,  $25 ;  O. 
W.  Potter,  $50  ;  E.  C.  Larned,  $25 ;  Goodwin  &  Towle, 
$15 ;  Joseph  Medill,  $20  ;  L.  L.  Coburn,  $15  ;  J.  L. 
Chapin,  $5 ;  N.  S.  Bouton,  $50 ;  L.  L.  Bond,  $10  ; 
Thomas  Hoyne,  $5;  Charles  Hitchcock,  $15;  Wm. 
Chisholm,  $15;  A.  B.  Meeker,  $50;  J.  M.  Walker, 
$50  ;  Western  Railroad  Association,  $100. 

Sometimes  the  persistence  of  Mr.  Burgess  or  the 
personal  influence  of  Mr.  Hughes  was  found  necessary 
in  order  to  obtain  books  that  were  desired,  but  gener- 
ally the  contributions  were  voluntary,  and  almost  any- 
thing could  be  got  for  asking  ;  and  between  January 
and  April,  through  the  joint  efforts  of  Burgess,  Rob- 
son  and  Hughes,  more  than  6,000  volumes  had  been 
added  to  the  600  first  gathered  for  the  British  gift 
library  to  Chicago.  The  Anglo-American  Association 
voted  £200  for  the  purchase  of  books  otherwise  unat- 
tainable. 

Among  the  many  early  responses  received  by  Mr. 
Hughes,  the  following  are  quoted  : 

"CHELSEA,  November  12,  1871. 

"Dear  Hughes :  Forgive  me  that  I  have  not  sooner 
answered  your  friendly,  cheery  and  altogether  pleasant 
little  note.  I  suppose  Burgess  would  have  told  you  my 
objection  to  the  project — that  it  seemed  to  me  super- 
fluous, not  practical  by  the  methods  he  proposed  (for 
the  gift  of  all  the  books  of  living  authors  will  go  for 
very  little  in  such  an  enterprise),  and  third  and  worst, 


Chicago  Library  Association.  477 

that  it  wore  on  the  face  of  it.  a  visible  pick  and  thank 
kind  of  character — a  thing  greatly  to  be  avoided,  both 
at  Chicago  and  here.  These  objections  do  not  vanish 
on  reflection,  but,  on  the  contrary,  gather  weight. 
Nevertheless,  if  you  and  the  literary  world  feel  nothing 
of  the  like,  and  the  project  take  fire  and  go  on,  it  con- 
tinues certain  that  my  poor  contribution  of  a  copy  of 
my  books  shall  not  by  any  means  be  wanting.  Believe 
me  always  yours  with  regards,  T.  CARLYLE." 

"HUGHENDEN  MANOR,  November  10,  1871. 

"'•Dear  Mr.  Hughes  '  Our  friends  at  Chicago,  so  far 
as  English  authors  are  concerned,  have  a  free  library 
which  no  conflagration  can  destroy.  I  fear  they  may 
smile  when  they  receive  our  offerings  in  this  fashion  ; 
but  mine,  if  you  wish  it,  shall  be  made. 

"  Faithfully  yours,  B.  DISRAELI." 

It  is  eminently  just  that  Mr.  Disraeli's  good 
natured  hint,  that  America  had  refused  copyright  to 
English  authors,  should  accompany  his  donation. 

The  news  of  the  intended  generosity  of  our  British 
brethren  was  received  with  grateful  enthusiasm.  The 
moment  was  opportune  for  effecting  our  long  cherished 
purpose,  and  steps  were  promptly  taken  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  public  library.  George  S.  Bowen,  who 
had  been  a  former  president  of  the  Chicago  Library 
Association,  called  a  public  meeting  for  January  8, 
over  the  signatures  of  twenty- eight  representative 
citizens.  This  call  was  drawn  up  January  5,  1872,  by 
George  S.  Bowen,  E.  C.  Larned  and  Rev.  Dr.  Ryder, 
who  had  met  by  appointment  for  consultation  on  the 
subject  of  a  free  library.  The  next  day  Mr.  Bowen 
obtained  a  few  fitting  signatures,  and  also  obtained  the 
consent  of  Mayor  Medill  to  preside. 

The  call  was  as  follows : 

"A  FREE  PUBLIC  LIBRARY. 

"The  following  correspondence  will  'be  read  with 
general  interest: 


478  Chicago  Public  Library. 

' '  HON.  JOSEPH  MEDILL,  MAYOR  OF  CHICAGO  : 

"The  undersigned  respectfully  request  that  you 
call  a  public  meeting-  of  the  citizens  of  Chicago,  with 
reference  to  the  establishment  of  a  free  public 
library  in  Chicago,  to  be  held  at  Plymouth  church, 
corner  of  Wabash  avenue  and  Eldridge  court,  on 
Monday  the  8th  hist.,  at  7:30  P.  M.,  and  that  you  would 
preside  over  said  meeting. 

George  S.  Bowen.  C.  M.  Henderson. 

Philip  Wadsworth.  C.  C.  P.  Holden. 

Henry  M.  Shephard.  Rev.  W.  H.  Ryder. 

Gilbert  A.  Smith.  T.  D.  Lowther. 

Wirt  Dexter.  Isaac  N.  Arnold. 

N.  K.  Fairbank.  Rev.  W.A.  Bartlett. 

C.  G.  Hammond.  A.  H.  Winslow. 

E.  C.  Lamed.  O.  S.  Hough. 
N.  S.  Bouton.  Horace  White. 
Charles  L.  Wilson.  William  Bross. 
Marshall  Field.  Enos  Brown. 

L.  Z.  Leiter.  Simeon  Farwell. 

W.  E.  Dog-gett.  John  K.  Harmon. 

F.  A.  Eastman.  C.  H.  McCormick. 

At  this  meeting  a  committee  was  appointed  to 
prepare  for  such  legislation.  The  committee  reported, 
January  20,  -the  draft  of  a  free  library  law,  which 
was  subsequently  enacted  by  the  legislature,  and 
approved  March  7,  1872.  The  common  council  passed 
an  ordinance  establishing  the  Chicago  Public  Library, 
which  was  signed  by  the  mayor,  April  1,  1872.  The 
state  law  authorized  a  tax  for  the  support  of  the 
library  not  exceeding  one-fifth  of  one  mill  per  cent  on 
the  taxable  property  of  the  city. 

Thomas  Hoyne,  Willard  Woodward,  Herman  Ras- 
ter, Robert  F.  Queal,  Samuel  S.  Hayes,  Elliott  An- 
thony, Daniel  L.  Shorey,  James  W.  Sheahan  and  Julius 
Rosenthal  were  appointed,  April  8,  as  the  first  board 
of  directors,  and  Thomas  Hoyne  was  made  president  of 
the  board. 

The  collection  of  books  was  immediately  stopped, 
and  Mr.  Robson  employed  by  the  new  board  to  ship  the 
books  on  hand.  The  books  from  England  soon  began 
to  arrive,  and  storage  was  secured  for  them  in  the 
"Iron  Tank,"  which  was  attached  to  the  temporary 


Chicago  Public  Library.  479 

city  hall  building,  on  the  corner  of  Adams  and  La  Salle 
streets.  This  tank  had  been  used  as  a  distributing 
reservoir  for  the  South  Division,  and  stood  on  a  masonry 
foundation  thirty-five  feet  high.  The  lower  portion 
was  converted  into  fireproof  vaults.  Donations  of  books 
were  also  received  from  Chicago  citizens. 

January  1,  1873,  a  reading  room  was  opened  in  the 
third  story  of  the  city  hall,  adjacent  to  and  connected 
with  the  tank.  Mr.  W.  B.  Wickersham,  who  had  been 
appointed  secretary,  July  20,  1872,  was  placed  in 
charge.  October  25,  1873,  William  F.  Poole  was 
appointed  librarian,  and  assumed  his  duties  January 
1,  1874,  holding  that  position  till  August  1,  1887, 
when  he  resigned  to  take  charge  of  the  Newberry 
library.  Frederick  H.  Hild,  the  present  librarian,  was 
appointed  to  take  his  place,  and  assumed  his  duties  Octo- 
ber 15,  1887.  Mr.  E.  F.  L.  Gauss  was  appointed  assist- 
ant librarian. 

March  16,  1874,  more  commodious  rooms  for  the 
library  were  secured  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Wabash 
avenue  and  Madison  streets,  where  the  circulating  de- 
partment was  opened  to  the  public  May  1,  1874,  with 
17,355  volumes.  Citizens  of  Chicago,  by  registering 
their  names  and  depositing  a  certificate  of  guaranty, 
signed  by  a  responsible  person,  to  secure  their  safe 
return,  could  draw  books.  This  guaranty  required  re- 
newal every  two  years. 

May  27, 1875,  the  library  was  removed  to  thfi  south- 
west corner  of  Dearborn  and  Lake  streets,  where  it 
remained  until  May  2^,  1886,  when  it  again  found  new 
quarters  in  the  fourth  story  of  the  city  hall,  to  accom- 
modate its  120,000  volumes.  Here  it  remained  until  its 
removal,  September,  1897,  to  its  permanent  home  in  the 
new  Public  Library  building. 

The  last  official  act  of  the  old  Chicago  Library 
Association  took  place  March  9,  two  days  after  the  free 
library  bill  became  a  state  law;  when  Mr.  Lowther 
brought  together  a  quorum  of  the  officers  of  the  Chicago 


480  Chicago  Public  Library. 

Library  Association,  which,  on  motion  of  Gen.  J.  D. 
Webster,  voted  to  the  new  public  library  all  the  books 
the  old  library  still  possessed  or  were  entitled  to, 
namely,  the  300  or  400  volumes  which  were  afloat  in 
members'  hands;  the  250  volumes  (about)  of  the  British 
specifications  of  patents,  then  at  our  binders  in  London, 
and  some  600  books  which  were  stored  subject  to  our 
order  in  London  when  the  work  of  collecting  had  been 
suspended. 

The  Chicago  Public  Library,  as  it  now  is,  grew  out 
of  the  efforts  of  public  spirited  citizens  of  Chicago, 
whose  incentives  were  to  decorate  our  city  with  the 
insignia  of  literature.  Some  of  these  men  are  still  liv- 
ing, venerable  with  years,  and  held  in  honor  by  their 
fellow-citizens.  The  public  will  delight  to  honor  them. 
Every  man  who.  assisted  in  the  organization  and  mainte- 
nance of  the  Young  Men's  Association,  afterward  called 
Chicago  Library  Association,  as  well  as  American  and 
British  donors  of  books  and  money,  after  the  fire  of 
1871,  helped  to  found  an  institution,  out  of  which  grew 
the  present  Chicago  Public  Library — the  pride  of  our 
city,  the  delight  of  bookworms,  the  great  educator  of 
the  public,  and  at  this  date  (1901)  the  largest  circulating 
library  in  the  world. 

The  circulation  of  the  four  largest  libraries  in  the 
world,  in  1896,  was  as  follows: 

Birmingham',  England 818,312 

Boston  Public  Library 847,321 

Manchester,  England 975,944 

Chicago  Public  Library 1,172,586 

When  everything  was  ready  to  consider  the  erec- 
tion of  a  public  library  building,  the  first  thing  to  be 
obtained  was  a  suitable  site.  Dearborn  park  was  the* 
most  convenient  and  the  best  adapted  to  all  its  require- 
ments of  any  other  that  could  be  found,  and  the  possi- 
bilities of  this  spot  for  its  erection  had  been  considered 
for  many  years  by  public  spirited  persons. 

As  early  as  1833  a  bill  was  introduced  in  congress 
(supposed  then  to  be  vested  with  authority)  to  secure 


Chicago  Public  Library.  481 

permission  to  use  this  park  for  a  public  library  build- 
ing and  soldiers'  memorial  hall,  and  other  purposes  of 
a  public  nature;  this  bill  failed  to  pass.  Like  efforts 
were  made  at  subsequent  congresses,  without  success; 
committees  were  appointed  by  both  library  and  soldiers' 
interests,  who  visited  Washing-ton,  in  the  hope  of  ob- 
taining the  coveted  plat  of  ground.  But  in  1888  the 
United  States  Supreme  court  rendered  its  decision  in 
what  is  known  as  the  "Lake  Front"  case,  with  the 
effect  of  vesting  the  title  to  Dearborn  park,  not  in  the 
United  States,  but  in  the  state  of  Illinois  (and  in  the 
municipal  corporation,  as  its  agent),  for  public  purposes. 

Acting  under  this  decision,  the  Illinois  legislature, 
on  June  4,  1899,  gave  the  Soldiers'  Home,  of  Chicago, 
permission  to  erect  a  memorial  hall  on  the  north  quar- 
ter of  Dearborn  park,  and  on  May  19,  1890,  an  ordinance 
of  the  city  of  Chicago  was  passed,  and  on  June  2,  1891, 
an  act  was  passed  by  the  legislature,  and  approved, 
under  which  authority  the  directors  of  the  Chicago 
Public  Library  were  authorized  to  purchase  the  inter- 
ests of  the  Soldiers'  Home,  and  to  erect  and  maintain 
a  public  library  on  the  entire  park.  Immediately  after 
the  passage  of  the  ordinance — that  is,  on  or  about  June 
14,  1890 — the  library  board,  through  its  president,  John 
G.  Shortall,  upon  information  received  by  him  that  an 
adverse  occupation  might  be  looked  for,  determined  to 
take  actual  possession  of  the  land,  and  had  the  whole 
park  fenced.  This  timely  action  undoubtedly  saved 
several  years  of  occupation  to  the  library,  and  avoided 
the  cost  of  possible  litigation.  On  July  14,  1890,  a 
"consent"  to  the  use  of  the  park  by  the  library  was 
drawn  up  by  the  president,  who  undertook,  on  behalf 
of  the  board,  the  obtaining  of  the  signatures  of  the 
abutting  owners.  This  was  accomplished  through  the 
summer  and  autumn  of  1890. 

The  Soldiers'  Home  was  an  institution  very  popu- 
lar among  the  people.  It  originated  during  the  civil 


482  Chicago  Public  Library. 

war,  and  has  ever  since  been  distributing'  thousands  of 
dollars  a  year  among  the  families  of  needy  soldiers. 

As  a  compromise  of  these  conflicting  interests,  the 
managers  of  the  Soldiers'  Home  voted  unanimously  in 
favor  of  the  proposition  advocated  by  Thomas  B. 
Bryan,  who  had  been  their  president  for  some  thirty 
years,  as  he  still  is,  to  convey  their  quarter  of  the 
square  to  the  library  trustees,  in  consideration  of  a 
spacious  Memorial  Hall  being  appropriated  to  the  ex- 
clusive use  of  the  soldiers,  for  the  space  of  fifty  years 
at  a  nominal  rent,  after  which,  the  right,  title  and  use 
of  said  Memorial  Hall  shall  revert  to  the  Directors  of 
the  Chicago  Public  Library.  This  lease  bears  date 
January  1,  1898.  That  elegant  hall  is  one  of  the 
most  impressive  features  of  the  splendid  edifice,  and 
a  very  appropriate  tribute  to  the  veterans,  who 
delight  in  the  privileges  so  enjoyed  in  their  declining 
years.  The  records  show  the  deed  of  the  ground  from 
the  Soldiers'  Home,  signed  by  Thomas  B.  Bryan,  presi- 
dent. Ground  was  broken  for  the  new  building  July 
27,  1892,  and  the  corner  stone  laid  Thanksgiving  day, 
1893. 

The  entire  cost  of  the  building  was  $2,078,954.01. 
It  was  dedicated  Saturday,  October  9,  1897.  Monday, 
October  11,  1897,  the  library,  with  all  its  departments 
in  working  order,  was  thrown  open  to  the  public.  The 
entire  number  of  volumes  on  May  31,  1898,  was  235,385, 
showing  a  net  increase  of  14,649  volumes  over  the 
number  reported  at  the  close  of  the  previous  year. 

The  entire  number  of  volumes  in  the  library  on 
May  31,  1901,  was  272,276,  an  increase  of  13,778  vol- 
umes over  the  number  reported  at  the  close  of  last 
year.  The  total  number  of  volumes  entered  in  the 
accession  catalogue  was  21,854,  of  which  18,910  were 
purchased,  1,958  were  donated,  and  986  were  acquired 
by  binding  periodicals  from  the  reading  rooms.  There 
were  also  added  1,702  pamphlets,  making  the  number 
of  unbound  pamphlets  now  on  hand  49,805. 


Chicago  Public  Library.  483 

There  were  deducted  during  the  last  year  from  the 
total  number  of  volumes  in  the  library  the  following 
items :  Books  worn  out  and  withdrawn  from  circula- 
tion, 7,424;  books  lost  and  paid  for,  394;  books  un- 
accounted for  in  the  annual  inventory  of  1899-1900, 
203 ;  books  not  recovered  from  delinquent  book  bor- 
rowers in  1899-1900,  55. 

The  amount  expended  for  books  was  $19,867.04. 

CIRCULATION  OF  BOOKS. 

The  aggregate  circulation  of  books  in  all  depart- 
ments of  the  library  was  2,318,579,  distributed  as 
follows : 

Home  circulation  (main  library) 608,421 

Home  circulation  (delivery  stations)  1,164,320 

Reference  department *336,103 

Room  for  art  books 29,529 

Patent  department 99,160 

Bound  newspapers 4,128 

Branch  reading"  rooms .' 76,918 

Total  circulation  of  books 2,318,579 

The  circulating  department  was  open  for  the  deliv- 
ery of  books  on  302  week  days,  fifty-two  Sundays 
and  nine  holidays.  The  entire  home  circulation  was 
1,772,741  volumes,  an  increase  of  22,966  over  the  pre- 
vious year.  The  daily  average  week  day  circulation 
was  5,813,  against  a  daily  average  of  5,769  reported 
last  year.  .  The  average  Sunday  and  holiday  issues 
numbered  284.  The  largest  number  of  books  issued 
on  any  one  day  was  10,005,  on  February  23,  1901  ;  the 
smallest  number  was  4,424,  on  September  12,  1900. 

The  amount  received  for  fines  from  delinquent 
book  borrowers  was  $7,131.19. 

DELIVERY  STATIONS. 

During  the  past  year  the  number  of  free  delivery 
stations  in  operation  was  increased  from  sixty  to  sixty- 
five.  Of  these,  twelve  are  located  in  the  North  Divi- 
sion, twenty-six  in  the  South  Division,  and  twenty- 
seven  in  the  West  Division  of  the  city.  The  number  of 

*Does  not  include  use  of  books  kept  on  open  shelves  accessible 
to  the  public. 


484  Chicago  Public  Library. 

books  drawn  from  the  various  stations  for  home  use  was 
1,164,320,  comprising  nearly  66  per  cent  of  the  entire 
home  circulation.  The  increase  over  the  previous 
year  was  20,929  volumes. 

The  amount  expended  for  "compensation  of  keepers 
of  delivery  stations  and  for  the  transportation  of 
books  was  $19,319.65,  an  average  cost  of  one  and  sixty- 
five  hundredths  cents  for  each  book  circulated. 

CLASSIFICATION   OP  THE   CIRCULATION. 

The  classification  of  the  books  issued  for  home 
reading,  showing  the  number  and  percentage  of  each 
class,  is  as  follows  : 

Volumes.  Per  Cent. 

English  prose  action 801,279  45.20 

Juvenile  literature •. . .     507,713  28.64 

History  and  biography 111,151  6.27 

Geography  and  travels 53,891  3.04 

Sciences  and  arts 94,487  5.33 

Poetry  and  drama 24,819  1.40 

Miscellaneous 56,373  3.18 

Foreign  languages 123,028  6.94 

Total .' 1,772,741  100.00 

REFERENCE  DEPARTMENT. 

The  number  of  recorded  visitors  to  the  reference 
room  was  121,709,  to  whom  were  issued  336,103  volumes 
from  the  stacks.  No  record  was  kept  of  the  number  of 
books  consulted  from  the  open  shelves  in  this  room. 
The  average  number  of  readers  in  the  reference  room 
at  the  close  of  each  hour  from  9  A.  M.  to  10  P.  M.  was 
sixty-six.  The  largest  attendance  in  the  room  was  at 
4  o'clock  p.  M.,  the  average  number  of  readers  present 
at  that  hour  throughout  the  year  being  112.  In  the 
room  for  art  books,  8,668  readers  consulted  29,529 
volumes. 

PATENT  REPORTS  AND  PUBLIC  DOCUMENTS. 

The  number  of  visitors  to  the  patent  department 
was  24,124,  who  consulted  88,690  volumes  of  patent 
office  records  and  8,745  public  documents.  There  were 
also  consulted  in  this  department  4,006  volumes  of 
bound  newspapers  and  l,72«r>  volumes  of  scientific  mag- 
azines. Of  books  for  the  blind,  858  were  circulated  for 
home  use  and  122  were  used  in  the  library. 


Chicago  Public  Library.  485 

READING  ROOM. 

The  average  attendance  in  the  reading  room  at  the 
close  of  each  hour  of  the  day,  from  9  A.  M.  to  10  p.  M., 
was  195.  The  maximum  average  of  attendance  was  at 
3  o'clock  P.  M.  throughout  the  year,  numbering  273 
readers.  It  was  impossible  to  keep  a  record  of  the  use 
of  periodicals  and  newspapers,  as  all  the  more  popular 
serials  are  now  kept  on  open  racks  in  the  room,  where 
they  are  directly  accessible  to  readers. 

The  entire  number  of  serials  on  file  was  1,102.  The 
amount  expended  for  newspapers  and  periodicals  for 
all  the  reading  rooms  was  $4,388.11. 

BRANCH  READING  ROOMS. 

The  aggregate  attendance  at  the  six  branch  read- 
ing rooms  was  204,821.  The  issues  of  periodicals  num- 
bered 190,028,  and  the  issues  of  books  76,918.  The 
average  attendance  on  Sundays  and  holidays  was  sixty- 
six. 

REGISTRATION. 

The  total  registration  during  the  two  years  ending 
May  31,  1901,  was  80,616.  During  this  period  there 
were  canceled  for  various  reasons  5,507  cards,  leaving 
the  number  of  two-year  cards  which  entitle  the  holders 
to  draw  books  for  home  use  at  75, 109.  The  classifica- 
tion of  the  registration  by  sex  shows  that  41,967  cards 
were  issued  to  males  and  38,649  to  females.  The  total 
registration  of  the  year  was  40,407.  There  were  issued 
at  the  various  delivery  stations  24,316  cards. 

ADMINISTRATION. 

There  are  now  employed  in  all  departments  of  the 
library  service  208  persons.  The  amount  expended  for 
salaries  was  $135,678.76. 

BINDING. 

There  have  been  sent  to  the  various  book  binders 
who  have  contracted  to  do  work  for  the  library  28,052 
books,  of  which  19,978  were  newly  bound  or  rebound, 
and  8,074  were  resewed  in  the  old  covers.  The  attend- 
ants in  the  binding  department  repaired  66,634  books; 


486  Chicago  Public  Library. 

5,819  books  were  repaired  at  the  binderies.  The  total 
number  of  books  relabeled  during  the  year  was  127,095. 
The  amount  expended  for  binding  was  $10,331.31. 

ANNUAL  INVENTORY. 

The  annual  inventory  was  taken  in  the  usual  man- 
ner without  closing  the  library.  The  result  showed 
192  books  unaccounted  for.  Of  the  291  volumes  re- 
ported missing  in  the  previous  inventory,  eighty-eight 
have  since  been  found. 

Hitherto  the  branch  libraries  of  the  Chicago  Public 
Library  have  been  placed  in  rented  rooms  in  various 
parts  of  the  city,  convenient  to  the  reading  public;  but 
through  the  generosity  of  Mrs.  Blackstone,  widow  of 
the  late  T.  B.  Blackstone,  a  beautiful  building,  costing 
$100,000,  is  to  be  erected  at  the  intersection  of  Forty- 
ninth  street,  Lake  and  Washington  avenues,  to  be 
known  as  the  "T.  B.  Blackstone  Memorial  Branch 
Library."  This  munificent  gift  will  accommodate  the 
citizens  of  the  entire  southern  portion  of  the  city. 

The  board  of  directors  of  the  Chicago  Public 
Library  gratefully  accepted  this  donation  at  its  meet- 
ing October  24,  1901,  extending  thanks  to  Mrs.  Black- 
stone.  If  similar  branch  libraries  could  be  erected  in 
other  portions  of  the  city  remote  from  the  main  library 
at  Dearborn  park,  it  would  greatly  increase  the  ad- 
vantages and  usefulness  of  the  library  as  it  now  is.  It 
is  to  be  hoped  that  Mrs.  Blackstone's  generous  example 
will  be  imitated  by  other  public  benefactors. 


PUBLIC   SURVEYS. 

In  1783  the  United  States  took  her  place  in  the 
family  of  nations. 

She  had.  conquered,  by  the  sword,  an  immense  in- 
heritance of  nature,  which  lay  spread  out  on  her  west- 
ern border,  in  forest  and  prairie,  like  an  unwritten 
page  to  be  filled  up. 

The  appliances  of  civilization  were  to  be  introduced 
here,  and  the  grandeurs  of  the  old  world  reproduced, 
on  a  new  and  improved  plan. 

The  old  seignorial  rights  of  landlords  over  their 
tenantry  had  not  been  recognized  in  the  new  order  of 
things,  which  the  American  revolution  had  brought 
into  requisition  in  the  new  nation. 

One  of  the  foundations  on  which  this  nation  must 
stand  was  private  ownership  of  the  soil,  and  agreeable 
to  this  premise,  instead  of  surveying  the  new  country 
in  large  feudal  estates,  our  present  system  of  public 
land  surveys  was  adopted  by  congress  as  the  best 
manner  of  securing  individual  rights  to  small  parcels 
of  land. 

It  began  in  the  territory  of  Ohio  in  1785,  only  two 
years  after  the  peace  of  Paris  had  sheathed  the  sword 
between  the  American  colonies  and  the  mother  country. 

The  first  step  to  be  taken  was  to  run  a  line  due 
north  from  the  Ohio  river  to  Lake  Erie.  This  was 
called  the  first  principal  meridian.  The  second  meri- 
dian was  run  from  the  Ohio  river  north  through  Indiana 
and  Michigan. 

The  third  meridian  was  run  from  the  Ohio  river, 
where  Mound  City  now  is,  north  through  the  central 
portions  of  the  state  of  Illinois,  thence  through  Wis- 
consin. 

The  fourth  meridian  was  run  north  from  the  con- 
fluence of  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  rivers,  thence 
through  western  Wisconsin. 

(487) 


488 


Public  Surveys. 


As  public  surveys  progressed  westwardly,  meridi- 
ans were  run,  in  like  manner,  at  convenient  distances 
apart,  till  the  Pacific  coast  was  reached,  the  last  one  of 
which  passed  near  the  city  of  Portland,  Ore. 

From  each  of  these  meridians  what  are  called  base 
lines,  being-  east  and  west  lines,  forming-  right  angles 
with  the  meridians,  were  run. 

Along  these  base  lines  what  are  called  ranges  were 
designated,  at  intervals  of  six  miles  apart,  and  num- 
bered either  east  or  west  from  their  meridians. 

The  meridians  are  numbered  at  intervals  of  six 
miles,  thus  laying  out  the  whole  country  into  six-mile 

GOV'T  TOWNSHIP  CONTAINING 
36  SECTIONS,  640  ACRES. 


1        1 

-H 

I 

t 

4  — 

r 

r 

i 

i 

i 

i 

___  

A 

I 

11 

"'I 

X 

3  - 

y 

o 

-3 

squares,  which  were  originally  called  government  town- 
ships, but  latterly  called  towns,  to  distinguish  them 
from  civil  townships  created  by  state  authority. 

The  civil  townships  are  generally  composed  of  a 
single  government  town,  but  when  physical  or  political 
conditions  make  it  necessary,  they  contain  more  than  a 
government  town,  as,  for  example,  Downer's  Grove, 
DuPage  county;  or  less,  as  Cicero,  Cook  county. 

The  government  towns  are  subdivided  into  square 
miles,  called  sections,  making  thirty-six  in  each  town, 
and  numbered  as  in  the  diagram  herewith  presented. 

Every  square  mile  in  the  surveyed  portions  of  the 
United  States  can  be  described  by  its  meridian  number, 


Public  Surveys.  489 

its  range  number  and  its  section  number,  no  two  of 
which  have  the  same  description. 

Sections  contain  640  acres,  and  each  is  subdivided 
into  quarters,  160  acres;  quarters  of  quarters,  forty 
acres;  and  quarters  of  quarters  of  quarters,  ten  acres. 

These  smaller  subdivisions  are  described  in  convey- 
ing small  parcels  of  land  by  deeds. 

Deeds  of  land  are  described  by  township  numbers, 
range  numbers  and  section  numbers. 

Blocks  in  citiesjare  numbered  and  divided  into  lots, 
each  of  which  is  recorded,  as  parts  of  a  section,  in 
its  respective  township  and  range. 

There  are  fifteen  ranges  in  Illinois,  east  of  the 
third  meridian,  the  fifteenth  being  fractional,  as  it  con- 
sists of  but  two  sections  until  the  Indiana  line  is 
reached  ;  and  all  the  lands  in  these  ranges  are  de- 
scribed, in  deeds,  as  east  of  the  third  meridian,  and 
numbered  as  per  the  meridian  number  and  range  in 
which  they  lie. 

Fractional  sections  occur  along  the  entire  margin 
of  Lake  Michigan,  and  also  along  the  margin  of  large 
lakes  as  well  as  along  the  shores  of  large  rivers. 

The  old  Indian  boundary  line,  which  passes  diago- 
nally from  the  southwest  into  the  southern  portion  of 
the  city,  has  caused  intricacy  in  the  transfer  of  lands, 
inasmuch  as  it  has  made  diagonal  offsets  necessary, 
some  of  which  it  is  difficult  to  assign  to  any  given  sec- 
tion. This  line  was  run  in  1816,  which,  with  another 
line  twenty  miles  distant  from  it  to  the  northwest,  and 
parallel  with  it,  enclosed  a  strip  of  land  from  the  Illi- 
nois river  to  the  lake,  which  was  ceded  to  the  United 
States  by  the  Ottawas,  Chippewas  and  Pottawattomies 
August  4,  1816,  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  the  Illi- 
nois and  Michigan  canal  to  be  built.*  The  inducement 
by  which  the  Indians  were  persuaded  to  sign  this 
treaty  was  on  the  ground  that  the  canal  would  be  free 
to  them  for  canoe  navigation. 

*For  the  details  of  this  treaty  see  Volume  I,  page  491  ,of  this  work. 


490  Public  Swveys. 

This  strip  of  land  was  surveyed  previous  to  1832, 
as  will  be  seen  by  looking-  at  the  map  herewith  pre- 
sented, which  is  a  copy  of  a  government  map  issued 
from  the  treasury  department  December  12,  1837,  by 
Levi  Woodbury,  secretary  of  the  treasury. 

According1  to  Mr.  Woodbury 's  annual  report  of  1836, 
estimates  were  submitted  to  congress  for  surveying  the 
tract  of  land  lying  between  the  third  principal  meridian 
and  Lake  Michigan,  extending  southwardly  about  five 
townships  in  width  from  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
state.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  settlements  had  been 
made  around  Chicago  for  many  miles  previous  to  the 
public  survey  of  these  lands.  These  early  settlers 
made  pre-emption  claims  to  the  lands  on  which  they 
settled  by  plowing  a  furrow  around  such  lands,  and 
when  surveys  were  finally  made  and  the  lands  came  into 
market,  they  bought  the  lands  at  government  price. 
Warren  Wheaton,  an  esteemed  citizen  of  Du  Page 
county,  Illinois,  is  still  living  (1901)  on !  his  original 
claim  made  in  the  above  mentioned  manner.  Hon.  C. 
B.  Farwell,  well  known  in  Chicago,  assisted  in  survey- 
ing the  lands  in  the  neighborhood  of  Rockford,  and 
when  such  lands  came  into  market  and  were  offered  for 
sale  at  the  land  office  in  charge  of  them,  no  one  but  the 
original  claimant  dared  to  make  a  bid  on  such  lands. 
To  have  done  so  would  have  endangered  his  life.  This 
rule  held  good  as  to  the  claims  of  original  settlers  who 
had  "squatted"  on  unsurveyed  public  lands  every- 
where. It  was  an  unwritten  law  of  the  early  sei,  tiers, 
and  seldom,  if  ever,  transgressed. 

The  entire  city  of  Chicago  lies  within  the  govern- 
ment townships  numbered  37,  38,  39,  40  and  41,  as 
numbered  on  the  third  principal  meridian,  and  within 
ranges,  or  base  lines,  XII,  XIII,  XIV  and  XV. 

It  will  be  observed  that  offsets  occur  on  vari- 
ous east  and  west  township  lines;  for  example,  see 
township  line  along  the  northern  limits  of  Niles,  Elk- 
grove,  Maine,  etc.,  in  Cook  county. 


Norrthboundaay  of  the  State  of  Illinois. 


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37 

!"  '"*"^,  •"••",••••"••  *  .'            •"•!"- 

ATO-  /T7  !•««  5  fresdoas  cttstnct,\ 

2\  i>   -Of    ; 
the  tffwnshijp  lines  '•£  subdivide  as  many  i 

to  purvey   '-./ 
"ownffups^ 

,36: 

i 

as  win  mate  about-.  SCOmUff  of  Sunvym 

&  yos     o. 

As 

OS/'.; 

7 

OS 


OS 


OS 


kThe  townships  which  were  subdivided  and  returned  before  June 
of  the  year  1832  are  marked  "OS." 

The  townships  which  have  been  subdivided  and  returned  and  alto- 
gether or  in  part  paid  for  since  the  commencement  of  June,  1832, 
are  marked  "RS." 

Those  which  have  been  subdivided  since  that  period  and  returned) 
but  have  not  yet  been  sanctioned  by  the  Surveyor  General  are 
marked  "N  S." 

This  mark  "X"  on  the  boundary  lines  and  in  the  interior  of  town- 
ships designates  the  exterior  lines  and  subdivisions  of  which  the  field 
notes  have  been  permanently  recorded  in  this  office. 

This  mark  "0"  designates  the  lines  and  townships  of  which  the 
field  notes  have  been  both  permanently  recorded  in  this  office  and 
copied  for  the  General  Land  Office  at  the  city  of  Washington. 


Public  Surveys.  491 

These  were  necessary  for  corrections  wherewith  to 
preserve  the  sections,  as  nearly  as  possible,  in  square 
shape. 

As  the  lines  running  north  must  converge  as  they 
approach  the  pole,  at  given  intervals,  a  less  number  of 
base  lines  must  be  plotted,  the  farther  north  surveys 
proceed,  in  order  to  conform  to  the  rotundity  of  the 
earth's  surface. 

The  thirteen  old  colonial  states  are  surveyed  by 
metes  and  bounds,  according  to  the  old  English  sys- 
tem. All  the  states  added  to  the  Union  since  our 
independence  have  been  surveyed  on  our  new  and 
improved  plan,  except  Kentucky,  Tennessee  and  Texas. 
Kentucky  was  originally  included  in  the  Virginia  col- 
ony, which  parent  state  had  sent  a  hardy  race  of 
pioneers  like  Boone,  McAfee  and  Harrod  there,  and 
made  large  grants  of  land  to  them,  thus  introducing 
the  old  instead  of  the  new  system  of  land  surveys. 
Tennessee  was  included  in  the  original  charter  of 
North  Carolina,  and  jurisdiction  over  it  was  not  given 
to  the  United  States  till  1790,  at  which  time  large 
grants  had  been  made  to  private  individuals. 

Texas  was  originally  settled  by  Mexico,  and  did 
not  come  into  possession  of  the  United  States  till  1848, 
at  the  treaty  of  Guadaloupe  Hidalgo,  at  which  time 
large  portions  of  the  state  had  been  settled  and  sur- 
veyed by  metes  and  bounds. 

The  meridians  on  which  our  public  surveys  are 
based  are  independent  of  the  geographical  meridians 
of  the  earth's  entire  surface. 

May  20,  1785,  congress  passed  an  act  for  the  sur- 
vey of  our  public  lands  under  direction  of  Thomas 
Hutchins,  the  geographer  of  the  United  States,  from 
which  date  our  system  of  surveys  began,  and  it  is  fair 
to  assume  that  the  whole  plan  of  them  was  the  work  o 
a  special  committee,  or  a  committee  of  the  whole,  in 
congress. 

The  surface  of  the  earth  is  divided  up  by  parallels 


492  Public  Surveys. 

of  latitude  and  longitude,  the  former  running  east  and 
west  around  the  globe  at  a  distance  of  1°  apart.  The 
latter  run  from  the  north  pole  south  across  the  equator 
to  the  south  pole,  also  1°  apart. 

A  degree  is  sixty  geographical  miles  in  length  at 
any  part  of  the  globe,  but  geographical  miles,  extend- 
ing east  and  west  at  the  equator,  decrease  in  length  all 
the  way  from  the  equator  to  the  pole,  at  which  place 
they  concentrate  to  a  point. 

The  length  of  a  degree  is  the  same  on  meridian 
lines  in  all  parts  of  the  globe,  as  can  be  seen  by  looking 
at  a  map  of  the  world;  360°  constitute  the  circumfer- 
ence of  the  globe,  but  lines  representing  them  on  maps 
are  placed  10°  apart,  and  while  both  parallels  and 
meridians  are  straight  lines,  on  the  earth's  sur- 
face they  have  to  be  curved  on  maps,  the  better  to 
represent  a  spherical  surface  on  a  flat  surface. 

On  globes  both  run  straight. 

The  English  reckon  longitude  from  Greenwich, 
the  Spanish  from  Madrid,  the  French  from  Paris  and 
the  Americans  from  Washington  since  about  1840;  but 
longitude  is  also  reckoned  from  Greenwich  here,  in 
order  to  make  descriptions,  based  on  English  records, 
coincide  with  ours. 

The  old  colonial  charters  and  grants  to  American 
colonists  were  limited  and  measured,  to  a  large  extent, 
by  geographical  meridians  and  parallels,  at  which  time 
no  other  measurements  of  lands  seemed  necessary  or 
practical,  as  private  ownership  of  lands  was  then  un- 
dreamed of. 

The  old  feudal  tenures  of  Europe  were  described 
by  geographical  lines  only.  Neither  Spain.  Portugal 
nor  Great  Britain  ever  made  any  public  surveys  of  any 
countries  in  North,  Central  or  South  America  to  which 
they  held  national  claims.  No  public  surveys  have  ever 
been  made  in  Africa  by  any  nation.  Much  of  this  dark 
continent  is  still  in  possession  of  its  aborigines. 


THE  CHICAGO  MANUAL  TRAINING  SCHOOL. 

This  school  owes  its  existence  to  the  Chicago 
Commercial  Club,  an  association  of  prominent  business 
men,  whose  monthly  meetings  are  devoted  to  the  dis- 
cussion of  social,  civil  and  political  questions.  To  this 
body  of  thoughtful  and  observant  men  the  subject  of 
education  early  commended  itself  as  of  vital  import- 
ance to  the  welfare  of  the  commonwealth.  The  need 
of  something  more  than,  and  different  from,  the  usual 
grammar  and  high  school  education  was  fully  recog- 
nized. 

At  a  meeting  of  this  club  held  March  25,  1882,  it 
was   resolved  to  raise  a  sum  of  $100,000  to  establish 
a  manual  training  school.     The  money  was  raised,  and 
the  same  evening  a  committee  was  appointed  to  draft 
a  plan  for  the  organization  of  the  school.     This  com- 
mittee  reported    December   30,    1882.      The    Chicago 
Manual  Training  School  Association  was  formed,  con- 
sisting   exclusively   of    members   of    the   Commercial 
Club.     The  following  trustees  were  elected: 
E.  W.  Blatchford,  president. 
R.  T.  Crane,  vice-president. 
Marshall  Field,  treasurer. 
William  A.  Fuller,  secretary. 

John  Crerar,  John  W.  Doane,  N.  K.  Fairbank, 
Edson  Keith,  George  M.  Pullman. 

June  9,  1883,  Dr.  H.  H.  Belfield,  at  that  time  prin- 
cipal of  the  North  Division  High  School,  was  elected 
director. 

The  object  of  the  school  is  thus  stated  in  its 
charter: 

"  Instruction  and  practice  in  the  use  of  tools,  with 
such  instruction  as  may  be  deemed  necessary  in  mathe- 
matics, drawing,  and  the  English  branches  of  a  high 
school  course.  The  tool  instruction,  as  at  present 
contemplated,  shall  include  carpentry,  wood  turning, 

(493) 


494  The  Chicago  Manual  Training  School. 

pattern  making1,  iron  chipping-  and  filing,  forge  work, 
brazing  and  soldering,  the  use  of  machine  shop  tools, 
and  such  other  instruction  of  a  similar  character  as 
may  be  deemed  advisable  to  add  to  the  foregoing  from 
time  to  time,  it  being  the  intention  to  divide  the  work- 
ing hours  of  the  students  as  nearly  as  possible  equally 
between  manual  and  mental  exercises." 

The  site  of  the  school,  the  northwest  corner  of 
Michigan  avenue  and  Twelfth  street,  was  purchased 
March  28,  1883.  The  corner  stone  was  laid  with  appro- 
priate ceremonies  September  24,  1883,  and  the  school 
opened  its  doors  to  pupils  February  4,  1884. 

It  was  intended  that  the  course  of  the  school  should 
be  three  years,  since  it  was  believed  that  the  essentials 
of  a  high  school  curriculum,  with  five  hours  per  week 
of  drawing  and  ten  hours  a  week  of  shop  work,  could 
be  thoroughly  accomplished  in  that  time.  This  belief 
was  well  founded.  About  50  per  cent  of  the  graduates 
of  this  school  have  entered  technological  schools  abund- 
antly well  equipped  for  their  work.  Twelve  of  the 
class  of  '93  were  fitted  for  the  sophomore  class  of 
Sibley  college,  Cornell  university.  The  acceptance  by 
the  technological  schools  of  the  shop  work  and  drawing 
of  manual  training  school  graduates  as  an  equivalent, 
wholly  or  in  part,  of  similar  work  demanded  by  the 
school  of  technology  for  the  degree  or  E.  E.  or  M.  E., 
saves  much  time  to  the  students  possessing  it.  Dur- 
ing the  sixteen  years  of  the  school's  existence  its  gen- 
eral purpose  has  been  maintained .  without  essential 
change.  As  the  pedagogical  value  of  manual  train- 
ing became  recognized,  the  optional  study  of  Greek 
was  added,  that  boys  desiring  to  prepare  for  classical 
colleges  might  have  the  benefit  of  drawing  and  shop 
work. 

The  technical  skill  of  boys  when  directed  by  com- 
petent and  enthusiastic  teachers  is  well  illustrated  by 
some  of  the  products  of  the  school.  Besides  two  dozen 
or  more  steam  engines,  from  6  to  10-horse  power  each, 


The  Chicago  Manual  Training  School.  495 

the  pupils  have  made  three  sensitive  drills,  a  large  drill 
press,  a  dozen  and  a  half  speed  lathes,  a  pattern  maker's 
gap  lathe,  weighing  1,500  pounds,  and  many  other  arti- 
cles in  wood,  iron  and  steel.  The  tower  clock,  with 
60-inch  dial,  Westminster  chime,  etc.,  in  use  for  years, 
was  designed  and  built  by  pupils. 

The  drawing  includes  free-hand  machine  and 
architectural.  About  50  per  cent  of  the  graduates  of 
the  school  go  directly  into  business.  The  others,  as 
has  been  said,  enter  college,  chiefly  in  engineering  de- 
partments. Over  160  college  degrees  are  known  to 
have  been  conferred  upon  graduates,  and  about  140 
others  are  now  in  college. 

On  July  9,  1897,  the  school  was  presented  by  its 
trustees,  with  the  unanimous  approval  of  the  Chicago 
Manual  Training  School  Association,  to  the  University 
of  Chicago.  Its  legal  ownership  is  now  vested  in  a 
board  of  nine  trustees,  elected  by  and  from  the  board 
of  trustees  of  the  University  of  Chicago.  This  trans- 
fer of  ownership  is  commemorated  by  a  handsome 
bronze  tablet,  placed  in  the  vestibule  of  the  school, 
which  reads  as  follows: 

"The  Chicago  Manual  Training  School,  the  first 
independent  school  of  this  character  in  the  United 
States,  was  founded  by  the  Commercial  Club,  of  Chi- 
cago, was  incorporated  April  10,  1883,  the  corner  stone 
of  its  building,  corner  of  Michigan  avenue  and  Twelfth 
street,  was  laid  September  24,  1883,  and  regular  school 
exercises  began  February  4,  1884. 

"  The  school  was  designed  to  give  instruction  and 
practice  in  the  use  of  tools,  in  mathematics,  drawing, 
modern  languages  and  the  English  branches  of  a  high 
school  course. 

"That,  during  the  fourteen  years  of  the  existence 
of  the  school,  it  has  instructed  over  1,600  pupils,  of 
whom  603  have  been  graduated,  that  it  has  caused  the 
establishment  of  many  similar  institutions — and,  espe- 
cially, that  it  has  secured  the  incorporation  of  this  sys- 


496  The  Chicago  Manual  Training  School. 

tern  of  education  into  the  public  schools  of  this  city  and 
of  many  other  cities,  is  evidence  to  the  founders  of  the 
school  that  it  has  successfully  accomplished  the  pur- 
pose for  which  it  was  organized .  In  the  belief  that  the 
usefulness  of  the  school  will  thereby  be  enlarged  and 
its  perpetuity  secured,  the  membership  of  the  Associa- 
tion has  been,  by  unanimous  action,  so  changed  that  the 
administration  of  the  school,  with  its  building,  grounds, 
equipment  and  the  endowment  (a  bequest  of  the  late 
Mr.  John  Crerar)  has  been  this  day  intrusted  to  a 
membership  composed  of  trustees  of 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO. 

BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES,  1896-97. 

E.  W.  Blatchf  ord,  president. 
John  M.  Clark,  vice-president. 
Marshall  Field,  treasurer. 
William  A.  Fuller,  secretary. 
John  W.  Doane,  Christoph  Hotz,  Edson  Keith, 

H.  H.  Porter,  George  M.  Pullman. 
July  9,  1897.  Henry  H.  Belfield,  director." 

Mr.  Crerar 's  bequest  was  $50,000. 
It  will  be  noticed  that  Messrs.  Blatchford,  Field, 
Fuller,  Doane,  Keith  and  Pullman  were  members  of  the 
original  board  of  trustees.  Messrs.  Crerar,  Keith  and 
Pullman  were  members  of  the  board  at  the  time  of 
their  death. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  CHICAGO 
ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCES. 

The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences  is  believed  to 
have  the  honor  of  being  organized  at  an  earlier  date 
than  any  other  scholarly  body  now  existing  in  Chi- 
cago. In  the  year  1856  a  small  circle  of  enthusiastic 
gentlemen  united  in  a  society  for  the  promotion  of 
scientific  investigation,  and  adopted  the  name,  "The 
Chicago  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences."  These,  the 
original  members  of  the  Academy,  were :  James  V. 
Z.  Blaney,  Nathan  S.  Davis,  Sr.,  James  W.  Freer, 
C.  A.  Helmuth,  Hosmer  A.  Johnson,  Edmund  Andrews, 
Henry  Parker,  J.  Young  Scammon,  Franklin  Scammon, 
Richard  K.  Swift,  Joseph  D.  Webster,  Eliphalet  W. 
Blatchford  and  Henry  W.  Zimmerman.  To  this  list 
many  other  names  were  soon  added,  and  the  new  society 
grew  and  developed  rapidly. 

A  definite  organization  was  completed  at  a  meeting 
held  January  13,  1857,  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Edmund 
Andrews,  and  the  following  officers  were  elected: 

President,  Professor  James  V.  Z.  Blaney. 

Vice-presidents,  Dr.  Nathan  S.  Davis,  Sr.,  Captain 
Joseph  D.  Webster. 

Secretary,  Dr.  Hosmer  A.  Johnson. 

Recording  secretary,  Dr.  Henry  Parker. 

Treasurer,  Col.  R.  K.  Swift. 

Curator  and  librarian,  Dr.  Edmund  Andrews. 

The  need  of  funds  soon  became  apparent,  and  sub- 
scriptions to  the  extent  of  about  $1,500  were  readily 
obtained.  A  room  was  rented  in  a  building  located 
at  the  southeast  corner  of  Clark  and  Lake  streets,  a 
few  cases  were  procured,  and  the  foundation  of  a  mu- 
seum was  laid.  This  favorable  beginning,  however, 
was  of  short  duration,  for  the  financial  crisis  of  1857 
and  1858  left  but  few  of  the  subscriptions  in  a  condi- 
tion for  collection.  The  society  was  unable  to  pay  the 

(497) 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences.  499 

salary  of  a  curator  or  to  increase  its  museum  accom- 
modations. The  publication  of  transactions  had  been 
planned,  but  this,  the  most  ambitious  wish  of  the 
members,  was  necessarily  postponed.  However,  a  few 
of  the  members  worked  on  the  cabinet  in  their  leisure 
hours,  and  interesting  monthly  meetings  were  sustained. 

In  the  year  1859,  under  the  provisions  of  a  general 
law,  the  society  was  incorporated  under  the  name, 
"  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences,"  and  at  a  meeting 
held  April  26,  of  that  year,  it  adopted  the  following 
resolution : 

WHEREAS,  A  majority  of  the  members  of  the  Acad- 
emy, acting  in  accordance  with  a  vote  of  the  Academy, 
have  incorporated  themselves  under  the  title  of  The 
Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences;  therefore, 

Resolved,  That  this  Academy  do  now  resolve  itself 
into  the  above  named  corporate  body,  and  transfer  to 
the  same  all  its  members,  property  and  interests. 

Renewed  activity  and  interest  was  the  result  of 
this  reorganization.  Much  of  the  stimulus  to  this 
activity,  as  in  the  earlier  period  of  the  society,  was 
furnished  by  Mr.  Robert  Kennicott,  a  young  naturalist 
of  great  promise.  He,  with  Dr.  Edmund  Andrews,  had 
placed  in  the  museum  the  larger  number  of  the  many 
thousand  specimens  already  on  exhibition.  About  this 
time  Mr.  Kennicott  joined  a  scientific  expedition  to 
northwestern  Arctic  America.  In  the  year  1862,  after 
an  absence  of  three  years,  he  returned,  bringing  an 
abundant  supply  of  material  in  all  the  departments  of 
natural  history  and  ethnology. 

The  expenses  of  this  expedition,  defrayed  by  the 
Smithsonian  Institution,  and  by  several  residents  of 
Chicago,  were  materially  lessened  by  the  unprecedented 
liberality  of  the  officers  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Co.,  acting 
both  as  officials  and  as  individuals.  The  expedition  was 
undertaken  with  the  understanding  that  the  Smith- 
sonian Institution  should  be  the  first  beneficiary,  but 
that  any  other  institution  that  Mr.  Kennicott  should 
designate,  and  which  would  suitably  provide  for  their 


500 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 


reception  and  care,  should  also  have  a  full  series  of  the 
specimens.  Mr.  Kennicott  naturally  desired  that  this 
series  should  have  a  home  in  Chicago,  and  designated 
the  Academy  as  the  second  beneficiary. 

In  the  winter  of  the  years  1863  and  1864  the  affairs 
of  the  museum  began  to  assume  a  more  definite  form. 
The  value  of  the  collections  already  offered,  and  the 
readiness  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  to  fulfill  its 
agreement  as  to  duplicates  and  to  add  much  other  ma- 


EZRA   B.   MCCAQG. 

terial  from  its  abundant  stores,  induced  several  promi- 
nent citizens  of  Chicago  to  undertake  the  founding  of 
a  permanent  and  more  extensive  museum  of  natural 
and  applied  sciences  in  this  youthful  metropolis  of  the 
central  west. 

Professor  Louis  Agassiz,  of  Harvard  University,  ac- 
cepted an  invitation  to  address  a  meeting  of  those  in- 
terested. This  meeting  was  held  February  22,  1864,  at 
the  residence  of  Mr.  Edmund  Aiken.  Both  the  lecturer 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences.  501 

and  the  occasion  aroused  great  enthusiasm.  A  subscrip- 
tion paper  was  started,  to  which  the  names  of  about  125 
persons  were  soon  appended,  each  agreeing  to  give  the 
sum  of  $500.  The  leading  spirits  in  this  movement 
were  J.  Young  Scammon,  George  C.  Walker,  Ezra  B. 
McCagg,Eliphalet  W.  Blatchford  and  Daniel  Thompson. 

The  gentlemen  present  at  this  informal  gathering, 
stimulated  by  the  enthusiasm  of  Mr.  Kennicott, 
adopted  the  following  resolutions: 

Resolved,  That  the  creation  of  a  museum  of  the 
natural  sciences  for  the  increase  and  diffusion  of 
knowledge  is  highly  desirable,  and  especially  so  at  the 
present  time,  in  order  to  secure  to  this  city  the  large 
and  valuable  collection  now  apparently  within  its  reach. 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  be  appointed  to  devise 
ways  and  means  and  to  act  as  trustees  of  any  funds  that 
may  be  raised  for  the  accomplishment  of  this  object. 

Resolved,  That  the  committee  above  designated 
consist  of  J.  Young  Scammon,  Ezra  B.  McCagg,  George 
C.  Walker,  Edmund  Aiken,  Daniel  Thompson,  Eli- 
phalet  W.  Blatchford,  Henry  G.  Loomis,  William  E. 
Doggett  and  two  others  whom  they  may  name. 

The  success  of  this  committee  was  extraordinary, 
and  the  generosity  of  Chicago's  citizens  was  amply 
demonstrated,  for  only  a  very  few  weeks  of  soliciting 
were  required  to  obtain  the  large  list  of  subscribers 
already  mentioned. 

This  movement  was  distinct  from  the  work  of  the 
Academy;  but  on  April  13,  1864,  by  an  amendment  to 
its  constitution,  the  committee,  acting  as  trustees  of 
the  fund,  was  made  the  board  of  trustees  of  The  Chi- 
cago Academy  of  Sciences.  The  subscribers  to  the 
museum  fund  were  made  life  members,  with  all  the 
privileges  of  membership. 

On  June  10,  1864,  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
museum  fund  adopted  the  following  resolution,  which 
had  been  proposed  by  a  committee  at  a  previous 
meeting: 

Resolved,  That  the  purposes  of  our  temporary 
organization  having  been  accomplished,  the  board  of 


502 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 


trustees  of  the  museum  fund  be  and  the  same  is  hereby 
merged  in  and  consolidated  with  the  board  of  trust- 
ees of  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences,  and  the 
officers  of  this  board  be  and  the  same  are  hereby 
declared  to  be  the  officers  respectively  of  said  board  of 
trustees  of  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences,  and  that 
they  hold  their  respective  places  as  such  officers  sub- 
ject and  according  to  the  provisions  and  regulations 
heretofore  adopted  by  this  board,  so  far  as  the  same 
are  applicable;  and  that  upon  the  adoption  of  such 


J.   YOUNG  SCAMMON. 

resolution  this  board  of  trustees  be  merged  in  the 
board  of  trustees  of  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 

At  a  meeting  of  this  new  board  of  trustees  of  the 
Academy,  held  June  10,  1864,  the  trust  imposed  upon 
it  by  the  constitution  of  the  Academy  was  unanimously 
accepted,  and  the  following  officers  were  elected: 

President,  J.  Young  Scammon. 

Vice-President,  William  E.  Doggett. 

Secretary  and  Treasurer,  George  C.  Walker. 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences.  503 

This  action  completed  the  consolidation  of  the 
museum  fund  and  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences, 
and  all  the  property  and  effects  of  the  two  organiza- 
tions became  vested  in  this  board  of  trustees. 

No  words  can  better  show  the  bright  outlook  of 
the  Academy  at  this  time  than  the  following  quotation 
from  the  records:  "The  committee,  to  whom  was 
referred  the  subject  of  the  disposition  of  the  funds  of 
this  Association,  would  respectfully  recommend  that 
subscription  notes  and  money  to  the  amount  of  $50,000 
be  set  apart  and  securely  invested,  as  paid  in,  as  a 
permanent  fund,  the  income  from  it  to  be  used  for  the 
payment  of  the  current  expenses  of  the  Association. 
The  remainder  of  the  subscriptions  will  not  be  sufficient 
to  meet  the  estimated  expenditures  for  the  next  three 
years;  but  the  committee  think  that  additional  sub- 
scriptions may  be  safely  relied  upon  within  that  time 
to  meet  those  expenditures. " 

Rooms  were  secured  in  the  Metropolitan  block, 
and  the  cases  and  other  property  of  the  Academy  were 
removed  to  them  from  their  old  quarters.  New  cases 
were  also  constructed  to  contain  the  additional  collec- 
tion received  from  the  Smithsonian  Institution. 

In  order  that  the  interests  of  the  Academy  might 
be  placed  upon  a  firmer  foundation,  and  its  property 
vested  in  the  board  of  trustees,  it  was  deemed  neces- 
sary to  obtain  a  new  charter.  Application  was  made 
to  the  state  legislature,  early  in  the  year  1865,  with 
the  result  that  the  following  enactment  was  adopted : 

WHEREAS,  An  Association  has  heretofore  been 
formed  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  called  "The  Chicago 
Academy  of  Sciences,"  the  object  of  which  is  the 
increase  and  diffusion  of  scientific  knowledge  by  a 
museum,  a  library,  by  the  reading  and  publication  of 
original  papers  and  by  such  other  suitable  methods 
as  shall  from  time  to  time  be  adopted; 

Now,  therefore,  in  order  to  encourage  and  promote 
the  above  declared  objects  of  the  said  Association: 

SECTION  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  People  of  the  State 
of  Illinois,  represented  in  the  General  Assembly:  That 


504  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 

J.  Young  Scammon,  George  C.  Walker,  Horatio  G. 
Loomis,  Daniel  Thompson,  Edmund  Aiken,  Ezra  B. 
McCagg,  Eliphalet  W.  Blatchford,  William  E.  Doggett, 
Robert  Kennicott,  Edmund  Andrews,  Hosmer  A.  John- 
son, Oliver  F.  Fuller,  James  W.  Freer,  William  Bross, 
James  V.  Z.  Blaney,  Belden  F.  Culver,  and  their  asso- 
ciates and  successors  forever,  are  hereby  declared  and 
created  a  body  corporate  by  the  name  and  style  of 
"The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences,"  and  by  that 
name  shall  have  perpetual  succession,  shall  be  capable 
in  law  to  contract  and  to  be  contracted  with,  sue  and 
be  sued,  implead  and  be  impleaded,  within  all  courts  of 
competent  jurisdiction;  may  receive,  acquire  and  hold 
real  and  personal  property  and  effects,  and  may  sell 
and  dispose  of  the  same  at  pleasure;  may  have  a  common 
seal,  and  alter  the  same  at  their  pleasure;  may  make 
such  constitutions,  regulations  and  by-laws  as  may  be 
requisite  for  its  government  and  for  carrying  out  the 
objects  of  the  Association,  and  not  contrary  to  the  laws 
of  the  land,  and  may  alter  the  same  at  their  pleasure. 

SEC.  2.  The  constitution  and  by-laws  of  said 
Association,  now  in  operation,  shall  govern  the  cor- 
poration hereby  created  until  regularly  altered  or 
appealed  by  the  Association;  and  the  present  officers 
of  said  Association  shall  be  officers  of  the  corporation 
hereby  created  until  their  respective  terms  of  office 
shall  regularly  expire  or  be  vacated. 

SEC.  3.  All  the  money,  property  and  effects  of 
said  "The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences"  shall  be 
held  and  managed  by,  and  the  title  thereto,  as  also  the 
title  to  all  the  real  estate  owned  or  to  be  owned  by 
said  Academy  of  Sciences,  shall  be  vested  in  the  boarcl 
of  trustees,  from  time  to  time,  being  as  provided  in 
the  constitution  of  said  Academy  of  Sciences;  and  all 
contracts  and  conveyances  of  said  Academy  of  Sci- 
ences, to  be  binding,  shall  be  executed  by  the  president 
and  secretary  of  the  board  of  trustees. 

SEC.  4.  This  act  shall  be  a  public  act,  and  shall 
be  in  force  from  and  after  its  passage. 

ALLEN  C.  FULLER, 

Speaker  of  the  House. 

WM.  BROSS, 

Speaker  of  the  Senate. 

Approved  February  16,  1865. 
RICHARD  J.  OGLESBY. 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 


505 


In  March  of  the  year  1865  the  Western  Union 
Telegraph  Co.  planned  an  expedition  to  survey  along 
the  northwest  coast  of  North  America  for  the  purpose 
of  establishing'  a  route  for  a  telegraph  line  intended  to 
connect  this  continent  with  Asia  by  crossing  the  Behr- 
ing  Straits.  The  company  very  generously  offered  to 
naturalists  the  opportunity  to  conduct  scientific  inves- 
tigations in  a  country  at  that  time  scarcely  known,  and 


WILLIAM  BROSS. 

nearly  inaccessible.  Mr.  Kennicott,  who  had  been 
elected  the  curator  of  the  Academy  early  in  the  pre- 
vious year,  with  other  young  naturalists  afe  his  asso- 
ciates, eagerly  availed  himself  of  the  unusual  facilities 
thus  granted.  The  outfit  for  scientific  investigation 
and  collecting,  costing  about  $1,000,  was  furnished  by 
the  Academy. 

On  March  21,  1865,  Mr.  Kennicott  sailed  from  New 
York  on  the  steamer  "Golden  Rule,"  and  made  his  first 


506  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 

stop  at  Nicaragua.  While  crossing  the  isthmus,  con- 
siderable collecting  was  done,  and  many  interesting 
and  valuable  specimens  were  gathered.  The  remarka- 
ble energy  of  Mr.  Kennicott,  always  apparent,  was 
most  marked  at  this  time,  and  he  was  unanimously 
chosen  by  his  associates  as  captain  of  the  voyage. 
Continuing  their  journey,  the  party  arrived  at  San 
Francisco  on  April  25.  While  there,  Mr.  Kennicott 
was  notified  of  his  election  to  the  office  of  ' '  Director  of 
the  Academy."  This  action  of  the  board  of  trustees 


ROBERT   KENNICOTT. 

was  taken  at  a  meeting  held  April  7,  1865.  He  tele- 
graphed his  acceptance  of  this  added  honor. 

From  this  expedition,  so  auspiciously  begun,  and 
so  successfully  conducted,  Mr.  Kennicott  never 
returned  to  resume  the  duties  of  his  office.  He  died 
very  suddenly,  and  while  alone,  May  13,  1866,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Nulato  river,  amid  the  eternal  solitudes 
of  that  remote  and  desolate  region. 

In  his  death  the  Academy  and  science  lost  one  of 
their  most  devoted  followers — one  who  from  early  boy- 
hood had  pursued  his  investigations  with  ardor  and 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences.  507 

enterprise,  ever  regardless  of  the  necessarily  attendant 
dangers  and  privations.  An  enthusiastic,  successful 
and  indefatigable  worker  in  the  Academy  from  its  very 
beginning,  it  is  fitting  that  a  few  words  regarding  his 
characteristics  should  be  quoted  from  one  who  knew 
him:  "None  who  ever  saw  him  will  forget  his  high 
spirits,  which  were  always  contagious,  and  the  energy 
with  which  he  followed  his  favorite  pursuit  of  animated 
nature  brought  a  glow  to  his  cheek.  Seeing  him  full  of 
life,  fun  and  irrepressible  energy,  it  was  impossible  to 
resist  an  impulse  of  admiration;  and  one  of  his  bitterest 
opponents  and  rivals  on  this  expedition  confessed,  long 
afterward,  that  one  glimpse  of  Kennicott  in  the  field 
gave  him  a  totally  new  and  different  opinion  of  the 
man.  'If  I  had  known  him  sooner,'  said  he,  'we 
should  have  been  always  friends.' ' 

Notwithstanding  the  great  loss  sustained  in  his 
death,  the  Academy  reaped  a  substantial  harvest  from 
this  enterprise. 

When  Mr.  Kennicott  departed  for  the  north  the 
care  of  the  museum  was  intrusted  to  Dr.  William 
Stimpson,  the  secretary  of  the  Academy,  who  was 
elected  curator  for  one  year.  Dr.  Stimpson  studied 
under  Agassiz,  and  had  for  years  been  in  charge  of  the 
department  of  invertebrate  zoology  in  the  Smithsonian 
Institution.  During  this  period  he  had  made  large  col- 
lections of  invertebrate  animals  from  all  waters,  and 
had  acquired  such  proficiency  in  this  branch  of  natural 
history  that  he  was  recognized  as  the  leading  Ameri- 
can authority  in  this  special  line  of  research.  The 
Smithsonian  Institution  deposited  with  the  Academy 
a  full  series  of  the  specimens  that  had  been  collected 
by  Dr.  Stimpson,  including  specimens  of  his  types. 
They  also  paid  him  the  rare  honor  of  sending  to  the 
Academy  a  large  collection  of  its  own  specimens  for  his 
determination. 

November  12,  1866,  Dr.  Stimpson  was  elected  direc- 
tor of  the  Academy,  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the 


508  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 

death  of   Mr.   Kennicott.      These  two  were  the  only 
persons  who  have  been  elected  to  this  high  office. 

The  period  from  1865  to  1871  was  one  of  notable 
prosperity  and  success.  During  1865  Dr.  Stimpson 
twice  visited  Washington  to  select  specimens  at  the 
Smithsonian  Institution,  and  succeeded  in  obtaining 
very  large  collections  in  nearly  all  the  branches  of 
natural  history.  He  also  added  largely  from  his  private 
collections. 


WILLIAM   STIMPSON. 

In  October  of  that  year  it  became  evident  to  the 
board  of  trustees  that  they  would  soon  have  to  provide 
more  ample  accommodations  for  the  collections,  which 
were  being  rapidly  enlarged. 

In  December  the  trustees  purchased  ground  at 
Thirtieth  street,  fronting  on  both  Indiana  and  Prairie 
avenues.  The  depth  of  this  lot  on  each  of  the  avenues 
was  130  feet.  At  this  time  this  area  could  be  obtained 
at  the  very  low  figure  of  $35  a  front  foot,  and  it  was 
thought  that  this  would  prove  a  good  investment.  It 


The  Chicago  Academy,  of  Sciences.  509 

was  not  the  plan  to  build  a  home  for  the  Academy  on 
this  property. 

About  this  time  the  trustees  of  the  Douglas  estate 
offered  to  donate  to  the  Academy  the  necessary  land 
for  a  building"  in  the  vicinity  of  the  old  University  of 
Chicago,  at  Thirty-fourth  street  and  Cottage  Grove 
avenue.  The  following  letter  pertaining  to  this  offer 
is  of  interest: 

"CHICAGO,  December  12,  1865. 
"To  THE  DIRECTORS  OF  THE  CHICAGO  ACADEMY  OF 

SCIENCES  : 

"Gentlemen. — The  proprietors  of  the  Douglas  estate 
will  donate  to  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences  as 
a  location  for  that  institution  that  portion  of  said 
estate  described  as  follows  :  In  block  number  one  (as 
per  plat),  lots  one  to  eighteen  (1  to  18),  inclusive, 
fronting  on  the  University  square,  and  also  all  the  lots 
in  the  rear  of  these  extending  from  alley  to  alley  and 
fronting  on  Lyon  avenue,  being  a  piece  of  ground  215 
feet  front  with  a  rear  of  143  feet  and  a  depth  of  270  feet. 

' '  Provided,  that  there  shall  be  erected  on  said 
ground,  within  two  years,  a  suitable  building  or  build- 
ings for  the  use  of  said  Academy  of  Sciences,  and  which 
building  or  buildings  shall  be  occupied  for  the  purposes 
of  said  Academy  for  not  less  than  ten  years  after  the 
completion  of  the  same. 

"Respectfully  submitted, 

"(Signed)  R.  GRIGG." 

The  board  of  trustees,  before  finally  acting  on 
this  offer,  decided  to  submit  the  proposition  to  the 
Academy.  A  majority  of  the  members  present  at  a 
meeting  held  December  12,  1865,  voted  to  accept  the 
offer.  The  dissenting  members,  however,  formed  so 
large  a  minority  that  the  trustees  decided  to  resubmit 
the  proposition  at  a  future  meeting.  The  matter  was 
again  carefully  considered  at  a  meeting  held  April  10, 
1866,  and  the  following  was  adopted  : 

Resolved:  That  we  recommend  that,  owing  to  the 
great  distance  of  the  proposed  location  at  Cottage 


510  Tlie  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 


ELIPHAL.ET   W.    BLATCHFORD. 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences.  511 

Grove  from  the  center  of  the  city,  the  offer  of  a  lot  at 
that  place  by  the  trustees  of  the  Douglas  estate  be 
declined. 

The  Academy's  board  of  trustees,  acting  on  this 
recommendation,  declined  the  gift. 

On  June  7,  1866,  the  collections  and  rooms  of  the 
society  were  seriously  damaged  by  fire.  The  fire 
started  in  rooms  of  the  Metropolitan  block  adjacent  to 
those  occupied  by  the  Academy,  but  soon  communicated 
with  the  museum  hall.  The  collections,  which  were 
large  and  valuable  beyond  any  moneyed  compensation, 
were  largely  destroyed  or  seriously  damaged. 

Dr.  Stimpson,  in  a  report  to  the  members,  stated 
that,  "  Half  the  animals  and  birds  were  lost;  the  exten- 
sive collections  of  birds'  nests  and  eggs  were  mainly 
consumed  ;  nearly  all  the  insects  were  destroyed  ;  the 
dried  crustaceans  and  echinoderms  were  all  destroyed. 
The  large  herbarium  was  saved,  with  the  exception  of 
the  plants  of  the  northern  Pacific  expedition.  The 
library  was  much  damaged  by  water,  but  most  of  it 
was  still  in  a  condition  to  be  used." 

The  Academy  held  $30,000  of  insurance  on  its 
property.  The  making  up  of  the  proofs  of  loss  involved 
a  great  deal  of  careful  labor,  and  Mr.  Blatchford  and 
Dr.  Stimpson  deserved  much  credit  for  the  able  and 
faithful  manner  in  which  they  performed  the  work. 
The  damaged  specimens,  books  and  other  property  were 
taken  to  a  room  in  a  building,  owned  by  Mr.  Scammon 
and  Mr.  McCagg,  at  the  corner  of  La  Salle  and  Lake 
streets,  where  Dr.  Stimpson  devoted  several  months  in 
an  effort  to  preserve  them,  but  the  final  result  showed 
that  comparatively  little  of  the  property  was  of  value, 
and  a  considerable  portion  of  the  insurance  was  finally 
collected.  Many  of  the  specimens  destroyed  were  ex- 
ceedingly valuable  scientifically,  and  could  not  be  re- 
placed, and  were  therefore  a  severe  loss  to  the  scientific 
world  as  well  as  to  the  Academy. 

Feeling  the  importance  of  fireproof   accommoda- 


512  Tfie  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 

tions  for  the  museum  and  library,  the  board  of  trustees 
decided  to  fit  up  the  old  quarters,  in  the  repaired  build- 
ing, only  for  temporary  use.  They  repaired  the  old  wall 
cases  and  caused  to  be  constructed  several  new  cases 
for  the  storage  of  specimens.  The  room  was  put  in 
order  for  taxidermy  and  for  the  arranging  and  labeling 
of  specimens  as  they  were  received.  But  little  attempt 
was  made  to  prepare  exhibitions  for  the  public,  and  only 
a  few  additional  cases  for  this  purpose  were  provided. 

On  July  20,  1866,  the  board  of  trustees  purchased 
from  the  Catholic  bishop  of  Chicago  a  lot  with  frontage 
of  fifty-five  feet  on  Wabash  avenue.  This  lot  was 
north  of  Van  Buren  street,  and  included  Nos.  263  and 
265.  A  brick  dwelling  was  situated  on  the  south  forty 
feet  of  this  lot.  This  building  the  board  repaired,  and 
raising  the  roof  they  added  another  story.  This  struc- 
ture was  soon  rented  for  a  term  of  five  years  at  an 
annual  rental  of  $3,000.  The  portion  of  the  lot  not 
occupied  by  the  building  was  reserved.  Upon  the  rear 
of  this  it  was  the  intention  to  eventually  erect  a  fire- 
proof building  which  should  contain  exhibition,  library 
and  work  rooms  and  a  suitable  hall  for  the  meetings 
of  the  Academy  and  for  lectures.  The  selection  of  this 
central  site  for  its  future  home  was  pleasing  to  all  the 
members  of  the  Academy. 

The  question  of  location  -having  been  settled,  the 
board  of  trustees  deemed  it  unwise  longer  to  retain  the 
property  formerly  purchased  on  Thirtieth  street,  and 
they  therefore  placed  it  in  the  market.  In  October, 
1866,  it  was  sold  at  a  handsome  advance  over  the  pur- 
chase price,  one-half  to  Mr.  John  W.  Foss,  and  the 
remainder  to  Mr.  Reuben  P.  Layton. 

In  the  year  1867,  at  the  request  of  the  officers  of 
the  Smithsonian  Institution,  the  Academy  joined  with 
them  in  sending  Mr.  Ferdinand  Bishoff  on  an  exploring 
expedition,  for  the  purpose  of  conducting  zoological 
investigations  along  the  shores  of  the  northern  Pacific 
ocean,  and  of  collecting  specimens.  The  Academy  was 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences.  513 

to  pay  one-half  of  the  expenses  and  to  receive  one-half 
of  the  results. 

During  the  same  year  a  complete  set  of  the  game 
birds  of  Illinois  was  prepared  and  sent  as  an  Academy 
exhibit  to  the  World's  Fair,  to  be  held  in  Paris.  This 
collection  was  greatly  admired  by  visitors  to  the  fair, 
and  was  finally  exchanged  for  a  fine  collection  of 
mounted  European  birds. 

The  plans  for  the  new  building  to  be  erected  by 
the  Academy  on  the  rear  of  its  Wabash  avenue  prop- 
erty 'were  prepared  early  in  this  year,  but  they  were 
not  fully  developed  and  accepted  until  late  in  the 
spring,  and  work  on  the  building  was  not  commenced 
until  in  June.  The  details  incident  to  the  erection  of 
the  building  were  under  the  supervision  of  a  committee 
of  the  board  of  trustees,  consisting  of  Daniel  Thomp- 
son, Eliphalet  W.  Blatchford  and  George  C.  Walker. 
These  gentlemen  gave  much  time  and  attention  to  this 
work,  and  carefully  watched  the  construction  at  every 
step.  The  architect  was  W.  W.  Boyington. 

The  building,  which  was  fifty  feet  wide  by  fifty- 
five  feet  in  depth,  and  about  fifty  feet  in  height,  was 
reached  from  Wabash  avenue  by  a  court  eighteen  feet 
in  width.  The  building  'was  finished  throughout  and 
contained  a  basement,  a  ground  story,  and  above  this 
a  museum  hall,  containing  two  galleries.  There  is  an 
interesting  note  in  the  records  of  the  Academy  to  the 
effect  that  the  building  "Was  fireproof  throughout, 
and  that  no  expense  was  spared  to  guard  against  an- 
other loss  by  fire." 

The  museum  hall  was  filled  with  well  constructed 
exhibition  cases  of  several  suitable  designs,  which 
were  "Moth  and  dust  proof."  The  first  floor  was 
arranged  for  the  secretary,  office,  library  and  meeting 
hall.  The  exterior  of  the  building  was  plain  but  sub- 
stantial, no  attempt  being  made  at  ornate  display. 

The  building  was  completed  in  January,  1868,  and 
the  first  meeting  of  the  society  held  in  the  new  hall 


514  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 

was  the  annual  meeting'  of  that  year  on  January  28. 
During  the  month  of  December,  1867,  the  collec- 
tions which  had  accumulated  since  the  fire  of  June 
7  were  removed  from  the  old  quarters  in  the  Metro- 
politan block  and  placed  in  the  new  museum. 

The  supposed  fireproof  character  of  its  new  home, 
which  was  unique  at  that  time  in  the  construction  of 
museum  buildings,  led  many  institutions,  as  well  as 
private  individuals,  to  send  large  and  valuable  collec- 
tions to  the  Academy.  This  was  especially  true  of  the 
Smithsonian  Institution. 

During  the  year  1868  many  specimens  were  received 
from  the  Bishoff  expedition,  and  some,  including  birds 
and  plants,  from  the  Kennicott  expedition  of  two  years 
before.  Previous  to  this  time  the  museum  had  been 
opened  only  to  members  of  the  Academy,  students  of 
natural  history  and  invited  guests:  but  numerous 
requests  were  received,  asking  permission  to  visit  the 
collections.  It  became  evident  that  the  general  public 
was  interested;  and  on  November  9,  1869,  the  following 
resolution  was  adopted  by  the  board  of  trustees: 

Resolved,  That  the  museum  of  the  Academy, 
located  in  their  building,  be  opened  to  the  public  every 
Saturday  from  9  o'clock  A.  M.  to  5  o'clock  P.  M.  On 
other  week  days  members  of  the  Academy,  students  of 
the  natural  sciences  and  strangers  in  the  city  will  be 
admitted  upon  application  to  the  secretary  of  the 
building. 

This  step  tended  to  popularize  the  Academy,  and 
was  thoroughly  appreciated  by  the  public.  It  was  the 
stepping  stone  to  a  greater  freedom  and  a  more  gen- 
eral invitation  to  all  to  visit  the  museum,  and  finally 
resulted  .in  throwing  open  the  doors  every  day  in  the 
year,  and  all  comers  were  admitted  without  charge. 
This  rule  holds  to-day,  and  must  continue  in  force  so 
long  as  the  Academy  has  a  home  in  Lincoln  Park. 

Appreciating  that  the  title,  ''Academy  of  Sciences," 
was  a  broad  one,  and  that  in  the  limited  number  of 
meetings  possible  in  each  year  time  would  not  permit 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences.  515 

the  presentation  of  papers  representing-  the  work  of 
the  numerous  special  lines  of  investigation,  it  was 
deemed  advisable  to  so  modify  the  constitution  as  to 
permit  the  organization  of  sections.  In  January,  1870? 
such  an  amendment  was  adopted,  and  a  "Section  of 
Microscopy"  and  a  "  Section  of  Botany  "  were  formed. 

Thus  the  Academy  advanced  step  by  step.  Each 
monthly  meeting1  showed  an  increased  interest.  It 
was  evident  that  the  affairs  of  the  society  were  ably 
managed,  and  that  a  strong  foundation  had  been  estab- 
lished, upon  which  could  be  built  a  future  valuablea  like 
to  the  lay  and  to  the  professional  seekers  after  scientific 
knowledge.  During  the  last  five  months  of  the  year 
1870,  2,058  people  visited  the  museum.  This  was  a 
gratifying  number  for  that  period  in  the  history  of 
Chicago.  At  the  close  of  that  year  the  total  member- 
ship of  the  society  numbered  139  life,  sixty-nine  resi- 
dent and  forty-six  corresponding  members. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1871  a  brilliant  future 
seemed  assured.  Choice  material  constantly  flowed  to 
its  care,  and  the  enthusiasm  of  the  members  steadily 
grew  under  the  wise  guidance  of  Director  Stimpson. 

But  the  evidences  of  the  prosperity  of  the  Academy 
were  not  measured  solely  by  these  material  elements. 
It  had  a  large  hold  upon  public  esteem.  It  was  popular 
to  be  scientific  and  to  foster  those  things  which  would 
aid  and  advance  the  investigation  of  the  truths  of 
nature.  The  display  of  specimens  and  apparatus  and 
discussions  of  new  theories  were  welcomed  in  the  homes 
of  our  citizens.  Many  soirees  were  held,  and  largely 
attended  by  representative  people. 

The  act  which  perhaps  did  more  than  any  other  to 
establish  a  reputation  for  the  Academy  and  give  it  a 
recognized  place  as  a  scientific  institution  among  the 
older  societies,  European  as  well  as  American,  was  the 
publication  of  its  first  volume  of  transactions.  This 
was  a  royal  octavo  volume,  containing  eleven  valuable 
papers  and  337  pages.  It  was  beautifully  illustrated 


516  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 

with  thirty-four  full-page  plates  and  a  number  of  text 
figures.  The  mechanical  execution  was  above  criti- 
cism. The  papers  represented  original  research,  and 
were  recognized  as  contributions  of  the  highest  value  to 
science.  The  outlook  was  bright  indeed,  but  the  hopes 
and  ambitions  of  all  were  doomed  to  disappointment, 
and  the  Academy  was  again  destined  to  pass  through 
severe  trials. 

On  the  night  of  October  9,  1871,  the  great  fire, 
whose  record  is  now  a  part  of  history,  swept  away  a 
large  part  of  the  city  of  Chicago.  The  Academy's 
building  was  near  the  southern  border  of  the  burned 
•  district,  and  time  would  have  permitted  the  removal  of 
its  most  valuable  contents,  but  it  seemed  more  danger- 
ous to  remove  them  than  to  allow  them  to  remain,  as 
the  building  was  considered  fireproof.  Those  present 
at  the  museum  closed  every  avenue  of  attack  by  the 
fire,  removed  from  the  walls  whatever  would  readily 
burn,  piled  the  library  and  valuable  manuscripts  upon 
the  floor,  and  departed  to  a  place  of  safety,  expecting 
on  their  return  to  find  everything  safely  preserved, 
but,  like  all  the  other  fireproof  buildings  in  the  city, 
many  of  which  were  constructed  in  the  most  perfect 
manner  to  which  human  art  had  yet  attained,  it  went 
down  in  a  fiery  furnace,  the  magnitude  of  which  the 
world  had  never  before  seen,  and  in  an  intensity  of 
heat  which  even  stone  and  iron  could  not  resist.  The 
lesson  taught  by  our  great  disaster  is  that  no  building, 
however  admirably  constructed,  can  be  considered 
fireproof,  unless  it  is  also  isolated. 

In  the  minute  book  of  the  board  of  trustees  there 
is  the  following  record: 

"On  the  9th  of  October,  1871,  in  that  great  con- 
flagration1 which  swept  away  all  the  better  portion  of 
Chicago,  the  Academy  building,  with  all  its  valuable 
contents,  was  burned.  Hardly  a  vestige  remained.  It 
was  the  work  of  years  laid  low  in  an  hour,  and  we 
might  truthfully  say  that  in  some  instances  it  was  the 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences.  517 

destruction  of  all  the  results  of  the  labors  of  a  life- 
time. Many  persons  had  labored  faithfully  for  the 
Academy  from  its  very  organization.  They  had 
watched  its  steady  growth  month  by  month,  and  year 
by  year,  and  felt  a  just  pride  in  all  it  had  accomplished. 
It  was  very  dear  to  them,  for  their  labor  had  helped 
to  make  it.  Their  work  had  been  one  for  love  of 
science,  and  they  had  acted  from  a  heartfelt  desire  to 
benefit  their  fellow-man.  In  that  building  were  the 
collections  of  the  very  founder  of  the  institution, 
Mr.  Robert  Kennicott,  who  worked  so  faithfully,  but 
died  before  he  could  see  the  great  good  he  had  done. 
There  were  also  the  collections,  library,  publications  and 
valuable  manuscripts  of  Dr.  William  Stimpson.  His  loss 
was  beyond  computation.  It  seemed  as  though  all  the 
labor  of  his  life  was  gone.  In  a  letter  to  the  secretary 
he  says  in  reply  to  some  words  of  sympathy,  he  had, 
indeed,  lost  heavily  —  in  fact  his  all  —  the  product  of 
days  and  nights  of  toil  in  many  parts  of  the  world  for 
the  past  twenty  years.  He  had  looked  forward  to  the 
publication  of  his  own  works  by  the  government,  and 
consoled  himself  with  the  thought  that  although  he 
could  not  leave  his  children  wealth,  he  could  yet  leave 
them  this  assurance,  that  he  had  nevertheless  not  been 
idle.  But  a  fatality  seemed  to  attend  him.  He  had 
just  completed,  by  his  trip  in  August,  the  gathering  in 
of  all  his  materials  —  from  his  father's  house,  from 
Agassiz's,  from  Ilchester,  and  from  the  Smithsonian, 
just  in  time  for  the  fire.  'But  had  I  lost  twice  as  much 
I  shall  never  regret  coming  to  Chicago,  for  I  have 
found  there  noble  and  generous  friends,  not  only  to 
myself,  but  friends  of  science  such  as  no  other  city  in 
America  can  boast;  and  of  more  value  to  me  than 
worldly  possessions  will  be  the  memory  of  the  friendly 
experiences  I  have  had  with  yourself  and  the  other 
trustees  and  the  friends  of  the  Academy,  while  we  to- 
gether built  up  a  monument  which,  though  now  leveled 


518  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 

with  the  dust,  will  long-  live  in  scientific  history.  May 
our  past  be  an  earnest  of  our  future.'  ' 

As  the  record  books  of  the  museum  were  entirely 
consumed,  a  full  statement  of  the  losses  cannot  be 
made.  No  history  of  the  Academy  would  be  complete, 
however,  without  an  enumeration  of  the  more  im- 
portant collections  that  had  been  placed  in  its  care. 
Fortunately  Dr.  Stimpson  was  so  familiar  with  the  col- 
lections that  he  was  able  to  spread  on  the  minutes  a 
very  complete  report  of  its  past  possessions.  Some  of 
these  collections  were  of  co  much  importance  in  the 
scientific  world  that  even  now  inquiries  are  received 
asking-  as  to  their  whereabouts.  They  had  formed 
the  basis  of  publications,  for  many  of  the  specimens 
were  types.  Even  though  the  time  had  been  so 
short  since  the  organization  of  the  Academy,  there 
was  far  more  in  the  museum  and  library  than  was  gen- 
erally understood  or  even  suspected,  for  the  building- 
was  filled  from  basement  to  attic  with  exhibits  and 
specimens.  The  lack  of  room  for  the  new  accessions, 
which  were  constantly  arriving,  was  so  marked  that 
the  trustees  had  considered  the  necessity  of  acquiring 
a  new  location  and  the  erection  of  a  larger  and  more 
commodious  building  which  should  have  a  larger  area 
for  the  ever  increasing  additions.  Dr.  Stimpson  stated 
that,  "The  actual  cost  of  the  specimens,  reckoning  the 
cost  of  purchase  or  the  expense  of  collection,  was  not 
less  than  $200, 000." 

The  following  are  among  the  valuable  special  col- 
lections lost  in  this  catastrophe: 

1.  The  state  collection  of  insects,  which  contained 
a  large  number  of  types. 

2.  The  William  Cooper  collection  of  marine  mol- 
lusca,  which  was  one   of   the   most   complete   in  this 
country. 

3.  The  Florida  collection,  which  very  fully  illus- 
trated the  zoology  of  the  Florida  coast  in  all  its  depart- 
ments. 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences.  519 

4.  The  splendid  series  of  specimens  illustrative  of 
the  natural  history  of  Alaska,  collected  in  1865  to  1869 
by  Bishoff  and  the  naturalists  of  the  Western  Union 
Telegraph  expedition. 

5.  The  Smithsonian  collection  of  Crustacea,   un- 
doubtedly at  that  time  the  largest  alcoholic  collection 
in  the  world.     This  filled  over  10,000  jars  containing 
types  of  the  species  described  by  Prof.  Dana  and  other 
American  authors,  besides  hundreds  of  new  species, 
many  of  which  were  described  in  manuscript  lost  by  the 
same  fire. 

6.  The  invertebrates  of  the  United  States  north 
Pacific  exploring  expedition,  largely  collected  in  the 
Japanese  seas  by  Dr.  Stimpson  during  the  years  1853 
to  1856.     This  collection  included  a  large  number  of 
annelides,  mollusks  and  radiates,  many  of  which  were 
undescribed  except  in  manuscripts,  which  were  also  lost. 

7.  The  Stimpson  collection  of  marine  shells,  col- 
lected on  the  sea   coast  from   Maine  to  Texas.     This 
valuable  collection   represented  the  labor  of   twenty 
years.     Nearly  every  species  was  illustrated  by  speci- 
mens from  every  locality  in  which  it  occurs,  not  only 
in  our  own  shores,  but  also  on  those  of  Europe  and  the 
Arctic  sea.     There  were  about  8,000  separate  lots  of 
specimens. 

8.  The  United  States  coast  survey  collection  of 
deep  sea  Crustacea  and  mollusks,  dredged  in  the  gulf 
stream  by  Mr.  M.  Pourtales  in  the  years  1867  and  1868. 
This   collection   had  been   sent  to   Dr.    Stimpson   for 
description. 

9.  A  large  collection  of  the  tertiary  fossils  from 
Virginia  and  Alabama. 

10.  The  Dr.  Franklin  Scammon  herbarium,  con- 
sisting of  over  6,000  species  of  plants. 

11.  The  Scammon  collection  of  ancient  Central 
American  pottery  and  implements. 

12.  The  Arctic  collection    of  Robert   Kennicott, 
made  during  the  years  1859  to  1861.     These,  though 


520  Ttie  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 

damaged  by  the  fire  of  1866,  were  still  one  of  the  most 
important  collections  of  the  museum. 

The  general  collection  contained  about  2,000  mam- 
mals; 30  mounted  skeletons,  including  two  mastodons, 
an  African  elephant,  sea  otter  and  an  elephant  seal; 
10,000  birds;  1,000  nests,  with  the  eggs,  and  a  great 
quantity  of  eggs  without  the  nests ;  1,000  reptiles;  5,000 
fishes,  including  many  large  sharks  and  rays;  15,000 
species  of  insects  and  other  articulates;  5,000  species 
of  mollusks,  with  a  large  number  of  duplicates;  3,000 
jars  of  radiates,  including  several  hundred  corals;  1,000 
jars  of  mollusks  in  alcohol;  8,000  species  of  plants; 
15,000  species  of  fossils  and  4,000  minerals.  Besides 
these  there  were  1,000  specimens  illustrative  of  Amer- 
ican archaeology  and  ethnological  collection,  which 
embraced  a  very  fine  series  of  the  clothing  and  imple- 
ments of  the  Esquimaux  of  the  Anderson  river,  col- 
lected by  Robert  Kennicott  and  others,  and  presented 
to  the  Academy  by  the  Smithsonian  Institution. 

The  library  contained  about  2,000  volumes,  and  over 
5,000  pamphlets  and  maps.  Besides  these,  there  were 
in  the  building  and  destroyed  with  it  the  library  of  the 
Audubon  club;  the  valuable  conchological  library  of 
Mr.  George  C.  Walker,  which  included  colored  copies 
of  the  works  of  Sowerby,  Reeve,  Philippi,  Dunker, 
Romer  and  Kuster,  Martini,  Chemnitz  and  others;  the 
library  of  works  on  the  marine  invertebrates  belonging 
to  Secretary  Stimpson,  which  practically  included  all 
the  extant  works  on  this  subject. 

A  number  of  valuable  manuscripts,  representing 
the  study  and  investigation  of  the  various  collections, 
were  destroyed.  Some  of  these  were  to  be  published 
by  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  and  some  through 
other  sources.  There  were  several  hundred  accurate 
drawings,  illustrating  different  forms,  which  had  been 
made  at  a  considerable  expense,  and  belonged  to  the 
manuscript  reports. 

As  the  building  was  considered  fireproof,  no  insur- 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences.  521 

ance  was  carried  on  either  the  structure  or  its  contents. 
On  the  dwelling  house  there  were  two  policies,  each 
written  for  $5 ,000. 

Thus  in  a  few  hours  the  Academy  had  lost  all. 
Its  buildings,  its  records,  its  valuable  collections  and 
its  library  were  totally  destroyed;  yet  ambition,  hope, 
and  above  all,  courage  and  will,  still  remained  the  domi- 
nant characteristics  of  its  members.  Within  twelve 
days  steps  were  taken  looking  toward  its  rehabilitation. 

At  a  special  meeting  of  the  board  of  trustees, 
which  was  held  October  23,  1871,  and  at  which  the 
future  of  the  Academy  was  discussed,  J.  Young  Scam- 
mon,  Daniel  Thompson  and  George  C.  Walker  were 
appointed  a  committee  on  the  disposition  of  the  Wabash 
avenue  property,  and  to  consider  the  future  location  of 
the  Academy  building.  Several  offers  of  rooms,  in 
which  the  Academy  might  establish  a  temporary  home, 
were  received.  Before  the  last  of  the  month  of 
December,  1871,  the  debris  on  the  Academy's  lot  had 
been  removed,  preparatory  to  improving  it,  provided 
no  sale  was  made;  and  it  was  deemed  wise  to  remain 
in  that  locality. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  members  after  the  fire  was 
held  on  the  evening  of  October  21,  1871.  At  this  meet- 
ing steps  were  taken  to  build  up  the  collections,  and 
several  donations  were  announced.  At  the  regular 
November  meeting  President  John  W.  Foster  spoke  of 
the  prospects  and  hopes  of  the  members  for  the 
Academy's  future.  He  was  full  of  faith  that  the 
Academy,  like  the  private  interests  that  had  suffered, 
would  be  speedily  restored,  and  he  predicted  that  in 
five  years  there  would  be  built  as  good  a  building  with 
as  great  a  collection  as  that  which  was  lost. 

During  the  few  years  of  its  existence,  vigorous 
and  well  directed  exertion  had  established  for  the 
Academy  a  worthy  reputation,  which  proved  a  most 
potent  factor  in  its  rehabilitation.  The  foreign  and 
domestic  societies  which  were  its  correspondents  and 


522  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 

had  received  from  it  the  important  contributions  to 
knowledge  which  it  had  issued,  came  to  its  aid  with 
cordial  and  spontaneous  assistance.  These  societies 
not  only  continued  to  send  their  exchanges,  but  in 
many  cases  gave  complete  files  of  their  earlier  issues, 
which  under  ordinary  circumstances  are  obtained  with 
exceeding  difficulty.  Thus  the  lost  library  was  in  a 
great  measure  restored.  The  museum  also  was  simi- 
larly fortunate  through  the  contributions  of  societies 
and  individuals. 

The  kindness  of  societies  and  individual  friends  was 
constant  and  demonstrated  that  the  Academy  had  not, 
after  all,  lost  everything.  The  members  were  becoming 
reassured  and  the  future  again  looked  bright,  when  on 
May  26, 1872,  its  director  and  secretary,  William  Stimp- 
son,  was  removed  from  these  offices  by  death.  In  the 
great  fire, 'Dr.  Stimpsonlost  all  the  results  of  an  earnest 
and  prolific  life.  His  extensive  and  unique  collections 
had  perished.  The  manuscripts  in  which  they  were 
described-  and  illustrated,  and  which  represented  the 
patient  and  accurate  research  of  years,  were  gone. 
Always  feeble,  this  blow  was  too  much,  and  his  health 
was  still  further  undermined.  After  he  had  made  his 
report  regarding  the  losses  sustained  by  the  Academy, 
he  was  granted  an  indefinite  leave  of  absence.  He 
went  to  Florida  hoping  that  a  milder  climate  would,  as 
it  had  done  before,  restore  him  to  reasonably  good 
health.  From  this  trip  he  never  returned,  and  passed 
away  at  the  home  of  his  friends  in  Ilchester,  Maryland. 

The  death  of  the  Academy's  chief  executive  officer 
was  indeed  a  great  affliction.  He  had  done  more  than 
any  one  else,  with  the  exception  of  Robert  Kennicott, 
to  build  up  its  scientific  interests.  It  is  seldom  that  a 
person  is  honored  with  three  high  offices  at  the  same 
time  in  such  an  organization,  but  Dr.  Stimpson  was 
both  director  of  the  museum,  a  trustee  for  life  and 
secretary  of  the  Academy. 

In  the  administration  of  its  affairs  during  the  few 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Science*.  523 

years  intervening  since  its  organization  he  raised  it,  in 
the  magnitude  of  its  collections,  to  the  fifth,  and  in  certain 
departments,  to  the  first  in  rank  in  the  United  States. 
He  organized  a  system  of  exchanges  which  extended  to 
distant  and  widely  separated  regions.  He  maintained 
a  correspondence  with  kindred  societies  at  home  and 
abroad.  He  classified  and  arranged  the  materials  gath- 
ered from  every  quarter  of  the  globe  into  a  harmonious 
system,  of  use  both  to  the  public  and  to  the  student. 
He  was  profoundly  versed  in  many  branches  of  natural 
science,  and  was  one  of  a  few  in  whom  was  combined 
ability  as  a  collector  of  facts  and  specimens,  with  the 
power  accurately  to  describe  and  classify  what  he  had 
gathered.  In  his  social  relations  he  was  kind  and 
courteous,  and,  while  ready  at  all  times  to  impart  in- 
formation, he  was  not  obtrusive  in  his  opinion.  He 
loved  science  for  its  own  sake,  and  all  his  labors  were 
directed  to  its  advancement. 

A  statement  of  the  direct  losses  by  the  fire  by  no 
means  includes  all  the  misfortunes  which  the  Academy 
had  to  bear  because  of  that  catastrophe.  Shortly  be- 
fore that  time  friends  conspired  together  in  its  behalf. 
They  entered  into  an  agreement  that  they  would  build 
for  it  a  new  edifice,  at  a  cost  of  $100,000.  This  project 
was  fully  ripe,  even  to  the  drawing  of  the  plans,  when 
the  fire  prevented  its  realization.  These  friends  were: 
Eliphalet  W.  Blatchford,  George  C.  Walker  and  Daniel 
Thompson. 

Immediately  after  the  fire  the  citizens  of  Chicago 
were  aflame  with  the  ambition  to  rebuild  their  city,  and 
to  make  it  more  substantial  and  attractive  than  ever 
before.  This  same  zeal  was  the  controlling  spirit  that 
animated  those  who  had  so  wisely  guided  the  aft'airs  of 
the  Academy.  They  determined  to  rebuild  the  museum, 
and  to  erect  upon  the  front  of  the  property  a  handsome 
and  commodious  block  suitable  for  business  purposes. 
The  funds  controlled  by  the  Academy  were  not  sufficient 
for  such  a  project.  Therefore  the  board  of  trustees 


524  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 

borrowed  the  additional  amount  required,  securing  the 
lender  by  mortgage  upon  the  whole  property.  They 
estimated  that  the  income  from  the  rents  would  provide 
a  sinking  fund  by  which  the  original  indebtedness  would 
be  paid  when  it  became  due,  besides  furnishing  in  part 
the  means  of  defraying  the  current  expenses.  Looking 
to  the  future,  they  expected  that  ultimately,  after  the 
cost  of  the  building  had  been  met  and  the  mortgage 
released,  there  would  be  an  ample  and  well  secured  en- 
dowment, and  future  prosperity  would  thus  be  assured. 
The  plan  proved  disastrous,  as  the  area  of  trade  did  not 
increase  to  such  an  extent  as  to  include  these  premises, 
and  the  long  continued  financial  depression,  which  be- 
gan in  1873,  followed.  The  new  building  was  unoccu- 
pied for  a  long  time,  and  the  income  derived  from  it  did 
not  even  pay  the  interest  on  the  mortgage;  so,  after 
a  term  of  years,  by  the  processes  of  law,  the  whole 
property  was  lost. 

When  the  Wabash  avenue  property  passed  from  the 
ownership  of  the  Academy,  new  friends  appeared.  It 
still  had  its  collections  and  books,  but  its  losses  had  a 
depressing  effect  on  its  members.  Hope  for  the  future 
was  not  entirely  gone,  but  rested  in  the  minds  of  only  a 
few.  In  1886,  when  the  sale  was  finally  forced,  an 
offer  was  received  from  and  an  arrangement  made  with 
the  managers  of  the  Interstate  Exposition,  by  which 
the  collections  were  to  have  space  for  exhibition  in 
their  building,  then  situated  in  the  Lake  Front  park, 
at  the  foot  of  Adams  street,  where  the  Art  Institute 
now  stands.  For  the  privilege  of  having  this  attrac- 
tion in  their  building,  the  managers  agreed  to  furnish 
an  office  for  the  curator,  where  the  business  of  the 
Academy  could  be  transacted.  They  also  agreed  to 
pay  his  salary. 

The  conditions  under  which  the  collections  were 
placed  during  the  next  six  years  could  hardly  have  been 
worse.  They  were  subjected  to  grime,  smoke  and  dust; 
to  danger  from  fire  and  the  untutored  handling  of  a 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 


525 


thoughtless  throng  of  visitors.  Yet  this  asylum  was 
the !  -only  one  available,  and  the  kind  purpose  of  the 
Exposition  managers  and  of  their  secretary,  Mr.  John 
P.  Reynolds,  should  not  be  forgotten,  nor  its  value  in  the 
least  deprecated,  for  they  not  only  freely  offered  the 
best  at  their  disposal,  but  paid  annually  the  many 
expenses  incurred  in  the  care  of  the  collections,  which, 
except  for  this  friendly  aid,  might  have  been  scattered 
or  destroyed,  or  at  least  stored  where  they  would  have 
been  inaccessible.  The  library  was  packed  and  stored. 


EDMUND   ANDREWS. 


In  the  spring  of  1892  the  Exposition  building  was 
torn  down,  and  the  trustees  were  forced  to  remove  and 
store  the  collections.  That  the  Academy  was  kept 
alive  during  this  period  of  depression  was  due  to  the 
earnest  and  effective  work  of  the  president,  Dr.  Ed- 
mund Andrews,  and  the  secretary,  Dr.  J.  W.  Velie. 
These  two  were  the  only  active  working  officers,  and 
Dr.  Velie  was  the  only  one  who  devoted  his  whole  time 


526 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 


and  attention  to  its  interests.  The  actively  interested 
members  were  few,  but  these  few  had  perseverance 
and  still  retained  much  of  the  old  time  ambition,  and 
they  believed  in  the  future  success  of  the  Academy. 
There  were  reasons  why  it  ought  to  continue  to  live. 
Dr.  Velie  stood  stanchly  by  it  through  prosperity  and 
adversity.  He  gathered  for  its  collections  in  places 
near  and  remote ;  he  spent  money  from  his  own  income 
in  many  instances,  in  order  more  perfectly  to  preserve 


J.   W.   VELIE. 

its  interests;  with  his  own  hand,  and  without  assistance, 
he  mounted  the  materials  gathered,  and  fitted  them  for 
proper  display.  For  this  work  he  possessed  a  rare 
gift,  and  was  eminently  successful  in  pleasing  the  pub- 
lic. He  arranged  the  programs  for  the  meetings  and 
kept  the  museum  in  the  best  condition  that  the  means 
and  accommodations  at  hand  would  permit,  and  ulti- 
mately saved  it  from  total  destruction.  To  Dr.  Andrews 
and  Dr.  Velie  the  Academy  owes  lasting  obligations. 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences.  527 

This  period  of  inactivity  and  depression  lasted  till 
the  latter  part  of  the  year  1891,  when  the  old  interest 
and  ambitions  were  aroused  in  the  minds  of  many  of 
the  members.  The  cause  of  this  renewed  activity, 
when  affairs  seemed  to  have  reached  their  most  disas- 
trous limit,  was  a  proposition  made  to  the  board  of 
trustees  by  the  University  of  Chicago.  This  offer 
included  the  proposal  to  remove  the  Academy's  head- 
quarters and  its  property  to  the  University  campus  and 
to  unite  its  fortunes  with  those  of  the  University.  The 
overtures  made  by  the  University  were  in  the  fullest 
degree  courteous,  kindly  in  spirit  and  commendable  in 
promise.  The  University  offered  in  substance  to  fur- 
nish room  for  the  collections  and  apartments  for  the 
meeting's  and  offices.  They  agreed  to  pay  the  curator's 
salary  and  the  incidental  expenses  incurred  in  the 
care  of  the  property.  They  gave  assurance  that  the 
Academy's  autonomy  should  be  maintained  ;  that  it 
should  elect  its  own  officers  and  have  full  control  of  its 
own  property,  thus  preserving1  its  own  independent 
existence. 

This  plan  was  favored  by  some  of  the  most  faith- 
ful patrons  of  the  Academy.  They  were  men  who  had 
supported  its  tottering  fortunes  during  long  years  of 
adversity,  not  merely  by  their  countenance  and  influ- 
ence, but  by  constantly  repeated  pecuniary  help,  which 
aggregated  large  sums  of  money.  They  found  in  this 
plan  the  only  hope  for  the  perpetuating  of  an  enter- 
prise which  they  had  always  held  dear.  Upon  the 
advisability  of  accepting  the  proposition  of  the  Univer- 
sity these  friends,  really  the  fathers  of  the  Academy, 
were  agreed.  These  views  were  adopted  by  the  board 
of  trustees  and  referred,  before  final  action,  to  the 
members  for  a  decision  regarding  the  acceptance  of 
the  offer. 

One  of  those  who  most  strenuously  favored  the 
acceptance  of  this  offer  was  Mr.  George  C.  Walker,  a 
trustee  since  its  organization,  and  always  a  champion 


528  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 

of  its  work  and  welfare.  Its  interests  were  always 
foremost  in  his  mind,  and  to  him  are  due  the  sincerest 
thanks  of  its  members,  both  past  and  present.  The 
notable  financial  successes  of  the  Academy  throughout 
its  history  were  largely  due  to  Mr.  Walker's  efforts. 

But  the  members  felt  that  the  movement,  though 
not  so  intended,  would  result  in  the  loss  to  the  Acad- 
emy of  its  identity,  and  that  gradually  the  members 


GEORGE  C.   WALKER. 

who  were  affiliated  with  other  institutions  would  with- 
draw, while  those  connected  with  the  university  would 
remain.  Thus,  after  no  very  long  time,  it  would 
become  merely  a  department  of  the  university, 
or  be  entirely  merged  therein.  The}?-  also  realized 
that  Chicago  was  surrounded  with  a  cordon  of  institu- 
tions of  learning,  all  efficient,  but  different  in  import- 
ant respects,  and  to  a  certain  degree  antagonistic; 
and  that  these  institutions  were  drawing  about  Chicago 
a  great  number  of  scholars,  distinguished  in  their 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences.  529 

varied  scientific  specialties,  who  would  enjoy  meeting- 
together  on  common  ground  in  friendly  intercourse, 
should  there  be  established  and  maintained  an  arena 
in  some  central  locality,  where  all  might  unite.  They 
also  believed  that  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences,, 
because  of  its  history,  its  traditions  and  the  successes- 
it  had  achieved,  its  independence  in  spite  of  the  misfor- 
tunes which  it  had  suffered,  because  of  what  it  was 
and  what  it  could  become,  should  be  so  ordered  and 
administered  that  these  elements  could  meet  in  its 
building  and  unite  under  its  name.  They  believed 
that  it  should  stand  on  neutral  ground. 

The  members  also  advanced  in  opposition  to  the 
plan  the  long  distance  of  the  university  campus  from 
the  center  of  the  city.  This  argument  was  also- 
advanced  as  earnestly  at  the  time  the  Douglas  estate 
offered  grounds  on  Cottage  Grove  avenue.  The  mem- 
bers present  at  the  regular  meeting  of  the  Academy, 
when  the  proposition  was  submitted,  voted  against  its 
acceptance,  and  the  trustees  acted  in  accordance  with 
their  expressed  wish. 

The  result  of  this  discussion  was  most  satisfactory^ 
for  it  awoke  the  members  from  their  lethargy.  All1 
began  to  seek  some  more  satisfactory  solution  of  the 
difficulties  in  which  the  Academy  was  involved.  At 
the  annual  meeting  of  the  year  1892  Dr.  Selim  H. 
Peabody  was  elected  president.  He  had  served  as 
secretary  during  the  period  from  December,  1875,  to 
October,  1878,  at  which  time  he  became  a  professor  in 
the  State  University  of  Illinois.  The  meetings  were 
well  attended,  and  other  organizations,  such  as  the 
Chicago  Chemical  Society  and  the  State  Microscopical 
Society,  expressed  a  desire  to  transfer  their  member- 
ship to  the  Academy.  This  union  was  perfected.  A 
large  number  of  worthy  and  working  scientists  applied 
for  enrollment,  so  that  within  that  year  the  list  of 
active  members  was  nearly  doubled.  The  members, 
both  new  and  old,  were  ready  to  form  themselves  into- 


530  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 

groups  for  the  discussion  of  subjects  along  special 
lines.  This  is  an  age  of  specialists,  and  sections  of 
microscopy,  photography,  entomology,  chemistry, 
astronomy  and  physics,  ethnology,  pathology  and  geol- 
ogy were  formed,  and  held  regular  monthly  meetings. 
In  fact,  at  no  time  in  its  history  had  the  Academy 
shown  a  more  vigorous  life.  This  was  the  first  result 
of  the  agitation  concerning  removal. 

In  the  summer  of  the  year  1892  an  offer  was  re- 
ceived from  the  board  of  commissioners  of  the  west 
park  system  to  build  a  home  for  the  Academy  in  Gar- 
field  park,  fronting  on  Madison  street.  This  very 
promising  offer  was  considered  with  favor  by  the  board 
of  trustees,  but  on  consultation  with  legal  authorities 
it  was  found  that  the  law  governing  the  actions  of  this 
board  of  commissioners  would  not  enable  them  to  make 
a  contract  which  would  protect  the  Academy  in  the 
ownership  of  its  specimens  and  be  binding  on  future 
boards  appointed  to  control  the  affairs  of  the  park. 

About  the  same  time  the  welcome  intelligence  was 
brought  to  the  members  that  a  Chicago  family  was 
animated  with  a  generosity  so  wise  and  far  seeing  as  to 
offer  the  means  for  building  a  permanent,  secure  and 
beautiful  home  for  the  Academy. 

Mr.  Matthew  Laflin,  who  during  a  long  and  suc- 
cessful business  career  had  been  identified  with  the  in- 
terests of  Chicago,  and  who  had  grown  up  with  it, 
seconded  and  aided  by  his  sons,  George  H.  Laflin  and 
Lycurgus  Laflin,  had  promised  to  give  a  generous  sum 
of  money  toward  this  most  noble  purpose,  under  the  fol- 
lowing conditions: 

1.  That  the  building  should  be  fireproof. 

2.  That  it  should  be  erected  on  an  appropriate 
site  in  Lincoln  park. 

3.  That  the  museum  should  be  opened  to  the  pub- 
lic without  charge. 

4.  That  the  plans  for  the  building  should  be  ap- 
proved by  the  family  of  the  donor. 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 


531 


5.  That  the  building  should  be  started  in  the  year 
1893  and  completed  in  1894. 

The  commissioners  of  Lincoln  park  indicated  a 
willingness  to  enter  into  an  agreement  with  the  Acad- 
emy and  Mr.  Laflin,  by  which  a  plot  of  ground  in  the 
park  should  be  designated  for  the  occupancy  of  the 
building.  At  this  point  it  was  called  to  mind  that 
several  years  before,  the  state  legislature,  at  the  in- 
stance of  Mr.  William  C.  Goudy,  the  attorney  of  and 


WILLIAM  C.   GOUDY. 

at  this  time  president  of  the  board  of  commissioners  of 
Lincoln  park,  had  enacted  a  law  which  gave  authority 
to  that  board  by  which  it  might  provide  for  the  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences  within  the  territory  over  which  they 
had  control  and  enter  into  a  perpetual  contract.  The 
commissioners  also  expressed  a  willingness  to  con- 
tribute to  the  expenses  of  construction,  with  the  under- 
standing that  they  were  to  have  within  its  walls  rooms 
for  their  offices  in  perpetuity. 


532  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 


MAIN   ENTRANCE  TO   THE   ACADEMY'S   BUILDING. 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences.  533 

Accordingly  contracts  were  drawn  and  accepted 
by  the  three  parties  interested.  The  building  was  to 
cost  $100,000,  of  which  Mr.  Laflin  contributed  $75,000, 
and  the  board  of  commissioners  of  Lincoln  Park  $25- 
000.  The  contract  specified  that  the  building  should 
be  known  as  the  Matthew  Laflin  Memorial,  and  should 
be  occupied  chiefly  for  the  purposes  of  the  Academy, 
a  suite  of  apartments  being  set  aside  for  the  offices  of 
the  park  authorities.  The  Academy  was  to  have  abso- 
lute and  perpetual  control  of  that  part  of  the  building 
devoted  to  its  uses. 

Appreciative  recognition  should  be  made  here  of 
the  wise  forethought  of  Mr.  Goudy  shown  in  the  adjust- 
ment of  these  conditions,  in  which  the  interests  of  both 
the  Academy  and  of  the  park  were  alike  conserved. 
This  wise  and  sagacious  friend  and  counselor  did 
not  survive  to  see  the  building  erected  or  the  condi- 
tions of  the  contract  fully  operative.  Mr.  Goudv  died 
April  27,  1893. 

The  site  furnished  for  the  building  was  most  desir- 
able. It  was  situated  on  the  west  side  of  the  park, 
opposite  the  opening  of  Center  street.  The  building 
was  designed  by  architects  Patton  &  Fisher,  upon 
lines  suggested  by  the  officers  of  the  Academy.  It 
was  to  be  132  feet  in  length  by  sixty-one  feet  in  width, 
with  a  central  portico  in  front  forty  feet  in  width  and 
a  projection  of  eleven  feet.  The  style  of  architecture 
was  to  be  Italian  renaissance,  the  material  buff  Bed- 
ford limestone  surmounted  by  a  roof  of  red  tile.  The 
entrance  was  to  be  by  a  massive  flight  of  stone  steps, 
thirty-six  feet  in  width,  leading  to  a  triple  arch  stone 
portico.  On  the  first  floor  were  to  be  the  entrance  hall, 
library  and  offices  of  the  Academy  and  park  commis- 
sioners. The  great  museum  hall  on  the  second  floor 
was  to  be  55x128  feet  in  size,  and  surrounded  on  all 
sides  by  a  gallery. 

The  corner  stone  of  this  edifice  was  laid  October  10, 
1893,  in  the  presence  of  a  large  audience.  Addresses 


534 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 


were  delivered  by  Mr.  Robert  A.  Waller,  president  of 
the  park  board,  Hon.  John  P.  Altgeld,  governor  of  the 
state  of  Illinois.  Dr.  Tarleton  A.  Bean,  of  the  National 
museum,  and  Dr.  Selim  H.  Peabody,  president  of  the 
Academy. 

As  soon  as  progress  in  the  finishing  of  the  build- 
ing would  permit,  the  collections,  which  had  been 
stored  near  by  since  their  enforced  removal  from  the 


A  STUDY  SERIES. 


old  Exposition  building,  were  transferred  to  the  new 
basement  and  there  carefully  examined,  renovated  and 
fitted  for  exhibition.  This  work  was  ably  performed 
by  Mr.  Frank  Collins  Baker,  the  newly  elected  curator, 
who,  during  the  years  of  his  service,  has  placed  the 
specimens  in  a  most  creditable  form  for  the  use  of  stu- 
dents, and  for  examination  by  the  public. 

The  building  was    dedicated   and   opened   to   the 
public  on  the  evening  of  Wednesday,  October  31,  1894. 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences.  535 

The  gathering  of  members  and  friends  was  addressed 
in  the  new  and  beautiful  assembly  hall,  by  Mr.  Luther 
Laflin  Mills,  representing  the  Laflin  family;  by  Dr. 
Thomas  C.  Chamberlin,  of  the  University  of  Chicago; 


YELLOW  BILLED   TROPIC   BIRD. 


by  Dr.  Sarah  Hackett  Stevenson,  and  Dr.  Selim  H. 
Peabody,  president  of  the  Academy. 

The  Academy's  history  may  be  divided  into  three 
distinct  and  interesting  periods.  Each  period  is  marked 
by  a  series  of  successes  and  reverses. 

The  first  period  includes  the  time  from  the  move- 


536  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 

ment  to  organize  the  parent  society,  "The  Chicago 
Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,"  1856,  to  the  date  of  the 
destruction  of  the  Academy's  property  in  the  great  fire, 
1871.  The  second  period  dates  from  the  fire,  and  closes 
with  the  opening  of  the  Matthew  Laflin  Memorial  build- 
ing, in  1894. 

In  the  later  days  of  the  second  period  (1892) 
the  Academy  inaugurated  one  of  the  most  important 
branches  of  its  work.  This,  the  "  Natural  History  Sur- 
vey of  Chicago  and  Vicinity,"  is  of  value  both  to  the 
student  of  natural  history  and  to  the  business  man,  for, 
when  completed,  it  will  have  finished  an  investigation 
of  both  economic  and  purely  scientific  features  of  the 
area  covered. 

At  the  time  of  organization  of  the  survey  three 
general  departments  were  decided  upon:  Geology  and 
allied  sciences,  topography,  zoology  and  botany.  It 
was  further  decided  that  the  work  in  the  several  divis- 
ions of  these  departments  should  be  intrusted  to  men 
recognized  as  specialists,  and  published  as  bulletins 
and  reports,  which  should  be  as  nearly  monographic  as 
possible.  Since  the  organization  of  the  survey  the 
work  has  been  steadily  progressing,  and  a  large  amount 
of  data  has  been  collected. 

The  area  covered  by  the  survey  was  known  to  be 
peculiar  in  two  distinct  systems  of  drainage,  either  of 
which  might,  under  certain  conditions,  prevail  over  the 
other.  As  this  peculiarity  of  the  drainage  is  of  great 
scientific  interest,  it  was  thought  desirable  to  emphasize 
this  by  fixing  upon  the  following  boundaries:  Begin- 
ning at  the  north  line  of  Cook  county  and  Lake  Mich- 
igan, thence  westward,  coincident  with  the  north  line 
of  Cook  county  to  Kane  county;  thence  southward 
along  the  east  line  of  Kane  and  Kendall  counties  to  the 
southeast  corner  of  Kendall  county;  thence  eastward, 
coincident  with  the  south  line  of  Cook  county  to  the 
east  line  of  Lake  county,  Ind. ;  thence  northward  to 
Lake  Michigan. 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences.  537 

These  boundaries  include  an  area  of  about  forty- 
eight  or  fifty  miles  square,  which,  after  deducting  the 
approximate  area  of  the  lake  covered  portions,  leaves 
nearly  1,800  square  miles  of  land  surface.  It  comprises 
all  of  Cook  and  Du  Page  counties,  the  nine  north  town- 
ships of  Will  county,  and  a  portion  of  Lake  county,  Ind; 

The  importance  of  this  survey  will  be  appreciated 
when  the  rapid  growth  of  the  city  of  Chicago  is  con- 
sidered. The  surface  of  the  area  is  constantly  changing, 


PRESIDENT  THOMAS   C.   CHAMBERLIN. 

both  because  of  the  agency  of  man  and  of  other  forces. 
The  numerous  railroads  centering  here  are  constantly 
bringing  new  things  to  the  soil,  which,  finding  a  con- 
genial climate,  finally  become  a  fixed  part  of  our 
natural  history.  More  important  still  is  the  recording 
of  natural  features  that  are  being  exterminated  or 
effaced,  and  of  which  no  indication  will  be  left  except 
in  printed  records.  The  historians  of  Chicago  and  its 
environments  in  future  generations  will  have  to  depend 


538  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 

on  the  printed  documents  of  the  present  for  the  indig- 
enous natural  features. 

The  third  period  has  begun,  but  is  not  yet  closed. 
Since  the  Academy  entered  its  new  building  its  work 
has,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  reverses,  constantly 
advanced  in  value,  both  to  its  members  and  to  the 
public.  Its  lectures  and  meetings  have  been  well 
attended;  its  publications  have  increased  in  number 
and  value,  and  its  museum  is  open  to  the  public  every 
day  in  the  year. 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  collections  of 
the  Academy : 

Specimens. 

In  Mineralogy 5,000 

"  Paleontology    15,000 

"  Lower  Invertebrates 2,500 

"  Mollusca    75,000 

"  Arthropoda 35,000 

' '  Lower  Vertebrates 300 

"  Ornithology    4,000 

"  Mammalogy    200 

"  Ethnology 1,000 

138,000 

The  following  are  some  of  the  special  collections 
included  in  the  above  enumeration : 

Species.    Specimens. 

W.  C.  Egan  collection  of  local  Niagaran 

fossils  -  200  5,000 

W.  C.  Egan  collection  of  paleozoic  fossils  -  1,200  7,000 
John  Walton  collection  of  the  genus 

Cyprcea  -  165  500 

Andrew  Bolter  collection  of  insects  -  4,000  10,000 

Charles  Sonne  collection  of  coleoptera  -  2,500  10,000 
Frank  M.  Woodruff  collection  of  local 

birds  -  -  170  1,000 

Frank  C.  Baker  collection  of  local  mollusks  175  5,000 

Howard  N.  Lyon  collection  of  mollusks  -  10,000 
William  K.  Higley  collection  of  local 

mollusks      -         -         -        -        >•.     .-  2,000 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 


539 


J.  H.  Ferriss  and   J.  H.   Handwerk  col- 
lection of  local  birds 
Francis  S.  Dayton  collection  of  local  birds 
Francis    S.   Dayton    collection   of    local 

birds'  eggs 

Charles  M.  Higginson  collection  of  minerals 
Charles  W.  Johnson  collection  of  diptera  - 
J.  W.  Velie  collection  of  Florida  fauna. 
Skeleton  of  a  mammoth. 


Species.    Specimens 


300 


1,000 
364 

625 
500 

600 


LEANDER   McCORMICK   COLLECTION   OF   MAMMAL   HEADS. 

That  this  the  successful  third  period  of  the  Acade- 
my's history  may  never  be  closed  unless  it  be  by  some 
marked  and  unusual  achievement,  is  the  earnest  wish 
of  all  its  members. 

The  following  persons  have  served  in  the  offices  of 
president,  secretary,  trustee,  director  and  curator: 


540  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 

PRESIDENTS. 

Professor  James  V.  Z.  Blaney 1865-1861 

Dr.  Franklin  Scammon 1862-1864 

Dr.  Edmund  Andrews 1865 

George  C.  Walker 1866-1868 

Dr.  Edmund  Andrews 1869-1870 

John  W.  Foster 1871-1873 

Dr.  Hosmer  A.  Johnson 1874-1875 

Eliphalet  W.  Blatchf ord 1876-1878 

Henry  H.  Babcock 1878-1881 

William  Bross 1882 

Dr.  Edmund  Andrews 1883-1891 

Dr.  Selim  H.  Peabody 1892-1894 

Charles  M.  Higginson      1895-1896 

Dr.  Thomas  C.  Chamberlin 1897- 

SECRETARIES. 

Major  Robert  Kennicott 1857-1864 

Dr.  William  Stimpson 1865-1872 

There  was  no  secretary  from  the  death  of  William 
Stimpson  in  1872  to  1876. 

Selim  H.  Peabody 1876-1878 

J.  W.  Velie 1879-1891 

William  K.  Higley 1892-1894 

Frank  C.  Baker 1895-1897 

William  K.  Higley 1898- 

TRUSTEES. 

J.  Young  Scammon 1864-1883 

George  C.  Walker 1864-1898 

Horatio  G.  Loomis 1864-1877 

Daniel  Thompson 1864-1868 

Edmund  Aiken 1864-1867 

Ezra  B.  McCagg 1864-1883 

Eliphalet  W.  Blatchf  ord 1864- 

William  C.  Doggett 1864-1876 

Robert  Kennicott 1864-1866 

William  Stimpson 1867-1872 

Edwin  H.  Sheldon . .  ...  1868-1891 


The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences.  541 

George  H.  Rumsey 1873 

William  C.  Egan 1882-1897 

Henry  W.  Fuller 1883 

Nathaniel  K.  Fairbank 1883-1884 

Benjamin  W.  Thomas 1883-1895 

Edmund  Andrews 1883-1894 

Hosmer  A.  Johnson 1883-1891 

Charles  M.  Higginson 1883-1899 

Joseph  Frank 1891-1892 

James  H.  McVicker 1891-1892 

Edward  E.  Ayer 1891-1893 

John  H.  Long 1891-1895 

Samuel  J.  Jones 1891-1899 

Charles  F.  Gunther 1891- 

Joseph  R.  Putnam 1892- 

Ira  J.  Geer 1894- 

Selim  H.  Peabody 1895-1896 

Lyman  J.  Gage 1895-1896 

Charles  Dickinson 1895-1900 

John  Wilkinson 1896- 

Louis  E.  Laflin 1896- 

Charles  S.  Raddin 1898- 

Charles  E.  Affeld 1899- 

Ira  J.  Mason 1901- 

DI  RECTORS. 

Robert  Kennicott 1865-1866 

William  Stimpson 1866-1872 

CURATORS. 

Edmund  Andrews 1856-1863 

John  M.  Woodworth 1862-1863 

Robert  Kennicott 1864 

William  Stimpson 1865-1872 

J.  W.  Velie  (acting) 1873-1876 

Selim  H.  Peabody 1876-1878 

J.  W.  Velie 1879-1893 

Frank  C.  Baker  .... 1894- 

WILLJAM  KERR  HIGLEY. 


MATTHEW   LAFLIN. 


MATTHEW  LAFLIN. 

John  Kinzie  was  the  father  of  Chicago  in  a  generic 
sense.  Matthew  Laflin  is  entitled  to  that  distinction 
in  a  special  sense,  because  he  was  the  instrument  by 
which  so  many  of  her  permanent  and  useful  industries 
have  been  built.  He  was  born  in  1803,  in  Southwick, 
Mass.,  being  of  Anglo- Scotch-Irish  extraction.  The 
genius  of  the  bright  New  England  lad  drew  its  inspi- 
ration from  other  sources  than  Plymouth  Rock.  Econ- 
omy of  pennies  and  of  time,  and  a  hardening  of 
muscle  with  use,  are  omnipresent  in  that  land,  that 
Daniel  Webster  said  was  a  good  place  in  which  to  be  born. 
There  we  find  Mr.  Laflin's  endowment  for  a  business 
life .  His  first  venture  was  in  the  manufacture  of  powder, 
to  make  a  market  for  which  Chicago  offered  an  inviting 
field,  when  work  began  on  the  Illinois  and  Michigan 
canal  in  1837.  It  was  then  he  came  to  this  place  and 
found  a  little  mud  clad  village  of  4,000  inhabitants 
which  won  his  confidence,  and  here  he  cast  his  lot, 
and  here,  as  well  as  at  St.  Louis,  Milwaukee  and 
Springfield,  he  established  agencies  for  the  sale  of 
powder  from  his  mills  at  Saugerties,  New  York.  During 
the  winter  of  1838-39  he  lived  with  his  family  in  Old 
Fort  Dearborn,  thus  associating  himself  with  the  mili- 
tary period  of  Chicago's  history.  His  first  venture  of  a 
speculative  character  was  buying  real  estate,  which 
soon  made  him  a  man  of  great  wealth.  He  built  the 
original  Bull's  Head  hotel,  on  Ogden  avenue  and  Madi- 
son street,  as  a  resort  for  stock  men,  around  which  he 
built  barns,  sheds  and  cattle  pens.  This  was  the  pioneer 
of  the  stock  yards  system,  now  so  prominent  a  source 
of  wealth  in  Chicago.  In  1851  he  established  the  first  om- 
nibus line,  running  from  Bull's  Head  to  the  State  street 
market,  then  in  existence,  but  abandoned  four  or  five 
years  later.  The  Bull's  Head  tavern  was  torn  down 

(543) 


544  The  Chicago  Academy  of  Sciences. 

in  1876,  after   having   been   used    as    an    asylum   for 
inebriates,  called  the  Washington! an  Home. 

Mr.  Laflin  was  a  factor  in  starting  the  first  system 
of  water  works  in  Chicago.  It  had  been  incorporated 
by  the  state  in  1836,  but  the  work  of  supplying  the  city 
with  lake  water  was  not  begun  till  1840.  A  reservoir 
for  this  purpose  was  built  of  pine  lumber  near  the 
shore  at  the  foot  of  Lake  street,  into  which  water  was 
pumped  from  the  lake  and  thence  distributed  by  wooden 
pipes  through  the  city.  The  power  used  for  pumping 
was  supplied  by  a  flouring  mill  where  the  old  Adams 
house  was  subsequently  built,  opposite  the  Illinois 
Central  depot.  He  operated  this  system  of  water 
works  for  several  years,  until  substituted  by  the  pres- 
ent system,  established  by  the  city  council  and  put 
into  operation  in  1854. 

Mr.  Laflin  married  in  Canton,  in  1827,  Miss  Hen- 
rietta Hinman,  of  Lee,  Mass. ;  they  had  three  chil- 
dren, George  and  Georgiana,  twins,  and  Lycurgus. 
His  first  wife  died,  and  he  afterward  married  Miss 
Catherine  King,  of  Westfield,  Mass.  His  second  wife  died 
in  the  winter  of  1891,  the  family  left  then  consisting  of 
Mr.  Laflin  and  two  sons  by  his  first  wife,  George  H.  and 
Lycurgus  Laflin,  both  well  known  business  men  of  Chi- 
cago, ever  identified  with  its  growing  interest,  both  of 
whom  have  sons  in  the  prime  of  life.  Mr.  Matthew 
Laflin,  the  venerable  grandfather,  died  at  his  home 
May  20,  1897.  He  built  his  most  enduring  monument 
by  erecting  the  building  of  the  Academy  of  Sciences 
in  Lincoln  Park,  which  was  the  crowning  work  of  his 
long  and  useful  life. 

RUFUS  BLANCHARD. 


ALASKAN   MOOSE. 


A   CASE  OF   CORALS. 


JOHN   CRERAR. 


THE  JOHN  CRERAR  LIBRARY. 

The  John  Crerar  Library,  the  latest  established  of 
the  free  public  libraries  of  the  city,  owes  its  existence 
to  the  bequest  of  the  late  John  Crerar. 

Mr.  Crerar,  for  many  years  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Chicago,  was  of  Scotch  ancestry,  the  son  of  John  and 
Agnes  (Smeallie)  Crerar.  Born  in  New  York  in  1827, 
he  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  that  city,  and  entered 
into  business  there,  becoming  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Jessup,  Kennedy  &  Co.  Coming  to  Chicago  in  1862, 
he  established  the  firm  of  Crerar,  Adams  &  Co.,  dealers 
in  railroad  supplies,  and  accumulated  a  large  fortune. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  a  director  of  the  Pull- 
man Palace  Car  Co.,  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad 
Co.,  of  the  Illinois  Trust  and  Savings  Bank,  and  presi- 
dent of  the  Chicago  &  Joliet  Railroad  Co.  He  was  a 
member  and  trustee  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  church, 
and  gave  liberally  of  his  time  and  money  to  the  work 
of  his  church.  He  was  greatly  interested  in  the  charit- 
able institutions  of  the  city,  being  a  director  of  the 
Chicago  Relief  and  Aid  Society  and  of  the  Presby- 
terian Hospital,  and  vice-president  of  the  Chicago 
Orphan  Asylum.  All  of  these  and  many  others  were 
liberally  remembered  in  his  will.  He  was  equally 
prominent  socially,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Chicago, 
Calumet,  Union,  Commercial  and  Literary  clubs. 

Mr.  Crerar  died  October  19,  1889.  His  will,  dated 
August  5,  1886,  was  admitted  to  probate  November  14, 
1889,  and  its  validity  was  finally  established  by  a 
decision  of  the  Supreme  court  of  Illinois,  rendered  June 
19,  1893.  In  this  will  specific  bequests  of  more  than 
$600,000  were  made  to  relatives  and  friends,  and  of 
nearly  81,000,000  to  charitable  institutions  and  public 
purposes. 

The  fiftieth  section  of  the  will  disposed  of  the 
remainder  of  the  estate  in  the  following  words : 

(545) 


546  The  John  Crerar  Library. 

Recognizing  the  fact  that  I  have  been  a  resident  of  Chicago 
since  1862,  and  that  the  greater  part  of  my  fortune  has  been  accumu- 
lated here,  and  acknowledging  with  hearty  gratitude  the  kindness 
that  has  always  been  extended  to  me  by  my  many  friends,  and  by  my 
business  and  social  acquaintances  and  associates,  I  give,  devise  and 
bequeath  all  the  rest,  remainder  and  residue  of  my  estate,  both  real 
and  personal,  for  the  erection,  creation,  maintenance  and  endowment 
of  a  free  public  library,  to  be  called  "The  John  Crerar  Library,"  and 
to  be  located  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  111.,  a  preference  being  given  to 
the  South  Division  of  the  city,  in  as  much  as  the  Newberry  Library 
will  be  located  in  the  North  Division.  I  direct  that  my  executors 
and  trustees  cause  an  act  of  incorporation  under  the  laws  of  Illinois, 
to  be  procured  to  carry  out  the  purpose  of  this  bequest;  and  I  request 
that  Norman  Williams  be  made  the  first  president  thereof;  and 
that,  in  addition  to  my  executors  and  trustees,  the  following  named 
friends  of  mine  will  act  as  the  first  board  of  directors  in  such  corpo- 
ration, and  aid  and  assist  my  executors  and  trustees  therein,  namely: 
Marshall  Field,  E.  W.  Blatchford,  T.  B.  Blackstone,  Robert  T.  Lin- 
coln, Henry  W.  Bishop,  Edward  G.  Mason,  Albert  Keep,  Edson  Keith, 
Simon  J.  McPherson,  John  M.  Clark  and  George  A.  Armour,  or  their 
survivors.  I  desire  the  building  to  be  tasteful,  substantial  and  fire- 
proof, and  that  a  sufficient  fund  be  reserved  over  and  above  the  cost 
of  its  construction  to  provide,  maintain  and  support  a  library  for 
all  time.  I  desire  the  books  and  periodicals  selected  with  a  view  to 
create  and  sustain  a  healthy  moral  and  Christian  sentiment  in  the 
community,  and  that  all  nastiness  and  immorality  be  excluded.  I  do 
not  mean  by  this  that  there  shall  not  be  any  thing  but  hymn  books  and 
sermons,  but  I  mean  that  dirty  French  novels  and  all  skeptical  trash 
and  works  of  questionable  moral  tone  shall  never  be  found  in 
this  library.  I  want  its  atmosphere  that  of  Christian  refinement, 
and  its  aim  and  object  the  building  up  of  character,  and  I  rest  con- 
tent that  the  friends  I  have  named  will  carry  out  my  wishes  in  these 
particulars. 

The  amount  thus  bequeathed  was  estimated  at  the 
time  to  be  about  $2,500,000,  but  it  was  hoped  that  im- 
provement in  the  business  conditions  of  the  country 
would  materially  increase  this  sum.  These  hopes  have 
been  amply  realized,  and  in  December,  1901,  the  total 
endowment,  on  a  most  conservative  estimate,  was 
$3,400,000. 

The  administration  of  the  estate  in  the  Probate 
court  was  closed  July  13,  1894.  Meanwhile  the  trustees 
of  the  estate  had  co-operated  with  the  trustees  of  the 
Newberry  estate  in  securing  legislation  which  seemed 
needed  for  the  better  organization  and  administration 
of  endowed  libraries,  embodied  in  "An  act  to  encour- 
age and  promote  the  establishment  of  free  public 
libraries,"  approved  June  17,  1891.  Under  this  act  the 
John  Crerar  Library  was  incorporated  on  October  12, 
1894,  and  duly  organized  January  12,  1895.  All  of  the 


The  John  Crerar  Library.  547 

directors  named  by  Mr.  Crerar  nine  years  before  were 
living  and  present,  and  Norman  Williams  was  elected 
the  first  president,  as  Mr.  Crerar  desired. 

Mr.  Williams  gave  much  time  and  thought  to  the 
development  of  the  library,  and  retained  the  presidency 
until  his  death  in  1899.  He  was  succeeded  by  Hunting- 
ton  W.  Jackson,  who,  both  as  trustee  of  the  estate  and 
as  chairman  of  the  committee  on  administration,  had 
already  proved  his  interest  in  the  library,  which  was 
further  manifested  by  a  bequest  of  $1,000,  notable  as 
the  first  bequest  received  by  the  institution  other  than 
the  one  by  which  it  was  founded.  His  death  followed 
too  soon,  in  January,  1901,  and  he  was  succeeded  by 
Hon.  Peter  Stenger  Grosscup.  Other  deaths  and  re- 
movals from  the  city  have  changed  materially  the  con- 
stitution of  the  board  of  directors,  which  in  December, 
1901,  consisted  of  the  following  gentlemen:  Marshall 
Field,  E.  W.  Blatchford,  Robert  T.  Lincoln,  Henry  W. 
Bishop,  Albert  Keep,  John  M.  Clark,  Frank  S.  Johnson, 
Peter  Stenger  Grosscup,  Arthur  J.  Caton,  Marvin 
Hughitt,  Thomas  D.  Jones,  John  J.  Mitchell,  Leonard 
A.  Busby  and  the  mayor  and  comptroller  of  Chicago, 
ex  officiis.  The  treasurer,  William  J.  Louderback,  and 
the  librarian,  Clement  W.  Andrews,  were  appointed  in 
1895  and  have  served  to  the  present  time. 

The  first  act  of  the  directors,  after  organization, 
was  to  declare  that  the  whole  amount  of  the  bequest 
was  not  too  large  for  the  sufficient  fund  which  they  were 
required  to  reserve  in  order  to  provide,  maintain  and 
support  the  library  for  all  time,  and  that  therefore  the 
endowment  should  not  be  encroached  upon  either  for 
land,  building  or  books,  but  that  a  building  fund  should 
be  accumulated  from  the  income.  This  fund  in  Jan- 
uary, 1902,  amounted  to  nearly  $400,000. 

The  second  act  of  the  directors  was  to  determine 
the  character  and  scope  of  the  library.  The  trustees  of 
the  estate  had  prepared  a  list  of  the  public  libraries  of 
the  city,  giving  their  character  and  size.  The  actual 


548  The  John  Crerar  Library. 

and  prospective  development  of  the  Chicago  Public 
Library  as  a  great  lending  librar}'-,  and  of  the  Newberry 
Library  as  a  great  reference  library  in  certain  fields 
largely  influenced  the  trustees  to  suggest  that  the  John 
Crerar  Library  be  made  a  reference  library,  embracing 
such  departments  as  were  not  fully  occupied  by  any 
other  existing  library  in  Chicago,  and  that  the  number 
of  departments  be  limited  to  such  as  the  funds  of  the 
library  could  render  complete  and  unique. 

After  a  careful  consideration  of  the  whole  subject 
the  directors  unanimously  decided  to  establish  a  free 
public  reference  library  of  scientific  and  technical 
literature.  This  decision  seemed  to  them  to  accord 
with  the  particular  business  activities  by  which  the 
greater  part  of  Mr.  Crerar's  fortune  had  been  accumu- 
lated, to  exclude  naturally  certain  questionable  classes 
of  books  which  his  will  distinctly  prohibits,  and  to 
favor  the  aim  and  object  which  it  expressly  points  out. 
As  personal  friends,  who  had  been  acquainted  with  his 
wise  and  generous  purposes,  and  with  his  civic  patriot- 
ism and  gratitude,  they  believed  that  he  would  surely 
have  wished  his  gift  to  supplement,  in  the  most  effective 
way,  the  existing  and  prospective  library  collections 
of  Chicago,  and  to  be  of  the  greatest  possible  value  to 
the  whole  city. 

Accordingly,  a  series  of  conferences  with  the 
trustees  of  the  Chicago  Public  Library  and  the  New- 
berry  Library  was  held,  and  an  elastic  scheme  for  the 
division  of  the  field  was  adopted.  The  special  field  of 
the  John  Crerar  Library  may  be  defined  as  that  of  the 
natural,  physical  and  social  sciences,  and  their  applica- 
tions. It  is  the  purpose  of  the  directors  to  develop  the 
library  as  symmetrically  as  possible  within  these  limits, 
and  to  make  it  exceptionally  rich  in  files  of  scientific 
and  technical  periodicals,  both  American  and  foreign. 

The  years  1895  and  1896  were  fully  occupied  in  the 
preliminary  work  of  organization.  A  librarian  was  ap- 
pointed, a  staff  selected  and  temporary  quarters  secured 


The  John  Crerar  Library.  549 

by  leasing  the  whole  of  the  sixth  floor  and  later  one- 
half  the  fifth  floor  of  the  Marshall  Field  &  Co.  building, 
87  Wabash  avenue.  The  suite  consists  of  a  reading- 
room,  two  stack  rooms,  directors'  room  and  other 
rooms  needed  for  the  administration  of  the  library. 
The  reading  room,  accommodating  nearly  100  readers, 
is  fitted  in  dark  oak.  Around  the  walls  is  shelved  a 
collection  of  3,000  volumes,  intended  to  include,  be- 
sides general  works  of  reference,  the  best  works,  both 
advanced  and  popular,  on  each  important  subject 
within  the  scope  of  the  library,  and  a  selection  of  other 
works  especially  interesting  or  much  in  demand.  The 
room  contains  also  the  periodical  alcove,  with  1,500 
periodicals  currently  received,  and  the  public  card 
catalogues.  The  latter  contain  the  titles  of  all  the 
books  in  the  library,  printed  upon  cards  and  arranged 
in  three  ways,  alphabetically  by  authors,  alphabetically 
by  subjects,  and  classed  by  subjects.  The  last  named 
arrangement  is  the  one  most  consulted,  and  no  pains 
have  been  spared  to  make  it  as  full  and  accurate 
as  possible.  Its  unusual  fullness  and  also  the  triple 
arrangement,  which  is  not  known  to  be  in  actual  use 
elsewhere,  have  been  made  possible  by  the  printed 
catalogue  cards.  They  have  made  possible  also  the 
distribution  of  the  catalogue  to  seven  other  institutions, 
interested  in  its  work.  These  catalogues  are  supple- 
mented by  an  extensive  collection  on  bibliography, 
including  card  indexes  to  agriculture,  botany,  mathe- 
matics, photography  and  zoology. 

April  1,  1897,  the  library  was  opened  to  the 
public,  without  formalities.  Even  before  the  fitting  of 
the  rooms  was  completed  the  purchase  of  books  had 
been  begun,  and  at  the  time  of  opening  there  were 
15,000  volumes  ready  for  use.  and  7,000  more  in  prep- 
aration. On  December  31,  1901,  there  were  over  75,000. 
It  is  already  a  fair  working  library  in  most  of  the 
subjects  within  its  scope,  and  is,  indeed,  much  more 
than  this  in  some,  notably  in  American  natural  history, 
engineering,  mathematics  and  ornithology. 


550  The  John  Crerar  Library. 

The  use  of  the  library  by  the  public  has  fully 
justified  the  action  of  the  directors.  Beginning 
with  an  average  of  eighty  a  day,  the  attendance  has 
increased  to  more  than  175,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the 
library  is  so  situated  as  to  escape  the  notice  of  one 
seeking  it,  rather  than  to  attract  the  attention  of  the 
passer-by.  The  recorded  use,  which  does  not  include 
books  from  the  shelves  in  the  reading  room,  those 
read  in  the  stack  rooms,  or  periodicals  read  in  the 
periodical  alcove,  has  increased  even  more  rapidly, 
and  for  1901  was  more  than  40,000  volumes  and  periodi- 
cals. The  total  use  is  about  three  times  that  number. 

In  1901  the  directors  took  up  the  question  of  a 
permanent  site,  and  decided  that  the  greatest  useful- 
ness of  the  library  could  be  secured  only  by  a  central 
location.  They  therefore  appealed  to  the  state  legis- 
lature and  to  the  city  council,  for  permission  to  erect 
a  building  on  what  is  commonly  known  as  the  Lake 
Front.  This  permission  was  granted  by  the  legislature 
in  "An  act  to  authorize  the  John  Crerar  Library  to 
erect  and  maintain  a  free  public  library  on  Grant 
Park  .  .-»  .  "  approved  March  29,  1901,  and  by  the 
city  council  in  an  ordinance  passed  March  18,  1901. 
The  act  provides  that  the  library  shall  procure  the 
consent  of  such  abutting  property  owners  as  have  the 
right  to  object.  The  site  granted  is  the  space  bounded 
by  Madison  street,  the  Illinois  Central  railroad,  Mon- 
roe street  and  Michigan  avenue.  The  dimensions  are 
approximately  400  feet  front  by  300  feet  depth ;  and  it 
is  proposed,  as  soon  as  the  required  frontage  consents 
can  be  secured,  to  build  a  rectangular  building  of  300 
feet  frontage  in  classic  style.  The  sketch  plans  pro- 
vide for  the  storage  of  about  1,000,000  volumes  and  the 
accommodation  of  about  500  readers,  and  for  future 
extensions  more  than  doubling  this  capacity.  With  such 
accommodations,  and  in  such  a  locality,  the  library  will 
undoubtedly  enter  at  once  upon  a  career  of  greatly 
increased  usefulness.  CLEMENT  W.  ANDREWS. 


ILLINOIS  UNDER  THE  FRENCH. 

'Twas  in  the  reign  of  Louis  XVI  of  France  that 
La  Salle  was  appointed  governor  of  the  Illinois  coun- 
try in  1682,  the  year  in  which  La  Salle  had  navigated 
the  Mississippi  to  its  mouth  and  named  the  entire  coun- 
try Louisiana,  in  honor  of  the  French  king.  La  Salle  sel- 
dom remained  long  at  any  one  place,  his  time  being  occu- 
pied by  exploring  the  new  country  or  conferring  with 
the  governor  of  Canada,  but  to  keep  up  a  show  of  French 
authority  in  the  Illinois  country  it  was  necessary  that 
some  one  should  constantly  be  on  the  spot  to  act  as  gov- 
ernor. This  honor  was  conferred  by  La  Salle  upon 
Tonty,  who  was  ever  faithful,  not  only  to  the  interests 
of  France,  but  to  La  Salle  himself. 

And  now  began  the  official  line  of  organized  gov- 
ernment here,  though  there  was  nothing  to  govern  at 
the  time  except  a  few  zealous  priests,  who  needed  no 
restraint,  and  a  large  number  of  Indians  whom  no  legal 
forms  could  restrain,  added  to  whom  were  a  score  of 
fur  traders,  untractable  and  lawless  as  birds  of  passage> 
and  almost  as  transient  in  their  erratic  wanderings. 

The  first  thing  to  do  was  to  build  a  fort,  without 
which  no  authority  could  exist  even  in  form.  The  site 
for  this  was  chosen  on  what  is  now  the  summit  of 
Starved  Rock,  near  Utica,  on  the  Illinois  river.  This 
was  done  in  December,  1682,  and  christened  Fort  St. 
Louis.  It  proved  a  refuge  of  safety,  around  which  the 
Illinois  tribes  gathered  with  confidence,  and  again  the 
rich  valleys  which  its  heights  overlook  swarmed  with 
Indian  life,  bidding  defiance  to  Iroquois  invasion  from 
under  the  guns  of  French  allies. 

The  cause  of  these  invasions  grew  out  of  English 
rivalry  in  the  fur  trade.  Dongan,  the  colonial  gov- 
ernor of  New  York,  furnished  the  Iroquois  with  the 
material  wherewith  to  make  them,  and  these  defiant 
warriors  were  ever  ready  to  do  his  bidding,  for  they 

(•'51) 


552  Illinois. 

were  dependent  on  the  English  for  guns  and  ammuni- 
tion, as  well  as  many  rude  implements  of  civilization,  of 
which  they  had  been  taught  the  use.*  In  like  manner 
such  Indians  as  were  in  alliance  with  the  French 
espoused  their  cause  against  the  English,  and  often 
made  hostile  incursions  from  Canada  into  the  frontier 
English  settlements  adjacent.  Governor  Dongan's 
headquarters  were  at  Albany,  and  from  here  he  sent  out 
men  to  intercept  the  trade  of  the  French  along  the  lakes, 
for  even  in  this  early  day  the  western  trade  was  a  cov- 
eted prize  between  the  French  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and 
the  English  of  the  Hudson  river.  This  trade  has  now 
multiplied  a  thousand-fold  in  value,  and  is  chiefly 
secured  to  the  Americans  by  the  Erie  canal  and  the 
various  railroads  that  connect  Illinois  with  the  Atlantic 
seaboard. 

The  French  settlements  of  southern  Illinois  were 
permanent  and  were  the  first  substantial  results  of 
La  Salle's  discoveries  and  explorations,  as  well  as  the 
missionary  labors  of  Marquette  and  others.  Much 
uncertainty  has  hitherto  existed  as  to  the  date  of  the 
commencement  of  these  settlements,  but  the  following 
which  Mr.  J.  G.  Shea  has  given  to  the  writer  will 
settle  the  question: 

"THE    MISSION   OF   THE    IMMACULATE    CON- 
CEPTION AMONG   THE  KASKASKIAS. 

' '  This  mission  dates  from  September,  1673,  when 
Father  Marquette  visited  the  Kaskaskias  at  their  town 
on  the  upper  Illinois  river.  It  bore  the  name  Kaskas- 
kia,  and  consisted  of  sixty-nine  cabins. 

"  It  was  on  the  Illinois  river,  about  six  miles  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Fox  river.  Having  promised  to 
return  and  establish  a  mission  among  them,  he  set  out 
in  November,  1674,  wintered  at  Chicago,  and  on  Easter, 
1675,  reached  Kaskaskia,  beginning  the  mission  under 
the  name  of  the  Immaculate  Conception.  Finding  his 

*Doc.  Hist,  of  New  York. 


Illinois.  553 

malady  increasing",  he  endeavored  to  reach  Mackinac, 
but  died  on  the  way.  Father  Claude  Allouez  renewed 
the  mission  April  27,  1677,  and  continued  it  until  La 
Salle's  expedition  reached  Illinois.  The  Recollets 
began  a  mission  at  Fort  Creve  Coeur,  but  none  at  Kas- 
kaskia,  and  the  mission  there  soon  closed.  Allouez 
subsequently  returned,  and  was  succeeded  in  1690  by 
Father  James  Gravier,  who  established  the  mission  on 
a  firm  basis  about  1693. 

"When  the  French  began  a  settlement  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi  in  1699  several  northern  tribes 
prepared  to  go  down  and  settle  there.  The  Kaskaskias 
went  to  the  Mississippi  in  1700,  but  were  induced  to 
wait  and  settle  at  the  present  Kaskaskia.  The  mission 
and  town  retained  the  old  name. 


"THE   MISSION  AT   CAHOKIA  AND  TAMAROA. 

' '  This  mission  was  founded  about  1700  by  Father 
Francis  Pinet,  but  the  next  year  the  mission  was  trans- 
ferred from  the  Jesuits  to  priests  sent  from  the  sem- 
inary of  Quebec.  Rev.  Mr.  Burgur  was  the  first.  After 
a  time  they  confined  themselves  to  the  care  of  the 
French  settlers  and  left  the  Indians  to  the  Jesuits. 
The  Quebec  priests  remained  at  Tamaroa  till  the  fall  of 
French  power." 

Not  long  after  the  settlements  of  Kaskaskia  and 
Cahokia,  the  circumstances  of  which  have  just  been  told 
by  Mr.  Shea,  other  French  towns  were  established  near 
by  them,  altogether  constituting  a  thriving  settlement 
midway  between  Canada  and  the  settlements  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi  river.  To  protect  them  Fort 
Chartres  was  built,  being  finished  in  1720.  It  was  at 
that  time  the  strongest  fort  in  North  America.  Some 
relics  of  it  still  remain  as  a  monument  of  French  power 
in  Illinois,  but  part  of  it  has  been  undermined  by  the 
wearing  away  of  the  river  bank,  while  much  of  the  stone 
of  which  it  was  originally  built  has  been  appropriated 


554  Illinois. 

for  private  use.  No  hostile  shot  was  ever  fired  against 
its  walls,  and  if  French  power  had  been  as  invulnera- 
able  against  attack  at  her  outermost  limits  as  at  this 
place  she  would  have  remained  the  great  power  in 
America  till  political  revolution  had  wrought  what  for- 
eign foes  were  unable  to  do. 


ILLINOIS  UNDER  ENGLISH  RULE. 

According  to  the  definitive  treaty  of  Paris  in  1763 
the  French  possessions  of  North  America,  east  of  the 
Mississippi  river,  fell  into  English  hands,  but  the  diffi- 
culties were  so  great,  of  taking  possession  of  this 
immense  country,  that  it  was  not  until  1765  that  the 
English  assumed  authority  in  it.  This  was  done 
by  Captain  Sterling,  who  arrived  on  the  ground  Octo- 
ber 10,  making  his  headquarters  at  Fort  Chartres, 
when  the  English  flag  was  raised  and  the  French  flag 
was  lowered.  The  French  population  of  the  Illinois 
villages  at  this  time  was  about  2,000,  added  to  whom 
were  about  500  slaves.  From  this  date,  to  the  period  of 
the  American  revolution,  the  happy  French  of  Illinois 
remained  in  quiet  possession  of  their  civil  rights  until 
General  George  Rogers  Clark  took  possession  of  the 
country  in  the  interests  of  the  American  government 
in  1778.  English  authority  from  that  day  ceased  in  the 
Illinois  country.  Phillipe  Francois  de  Rastel,  Cheva- 
lier de  Rocheblave,  a  Frenchman,  had  been  constituted 
its  governor  by  the  English  in  1776,  but  his  official 
authority  was  now  suspended. 

When  Gen.  Clark  made  the  conquest  of  the  Illinois 
country,  Rocheblave  was  taken  prisoner,  and  soon  after- 
wards was  sent  east,  under  custody,  to  Patrick  Henry, 
governor  of  Virginia.  Here,  if  his  own  account  could 
be  believed,  it  was  proposed  to  him  to  return  to  Illinois 
to  govern  the  country  in  the  interest  of  the  Americans; 
claiming,  also,  that  he  resolutely  withstood  such  flat- 
tering temptations.  Previous  to  his  having  been  made 
British  governor  of  Illinois,  he  had  a  French  command 


THE  OLD  STATE  HOUSE  AT  KASKASKIA. 

NINNIAN  EDJVAKDS,  APRIL,  :MTH,  1S09,  CONVENED  THE  FIRST  TERRITORIAL  LEGISLATURE  IN  ILLINOIS 
IN  THIS  BUILDING.  IT  WAS  THE  FIRST  BKICK  HOUSE  BUILT  WEST  OF  THE  ALLEGHANIES,  THE 
BRICKS  HAVING  BEEN  BROUGHT  FROM  P1TTSBURG.  PA.  BUILDING  ON  THE  LEFT  WAS  USED  FOR  A 
HOTEL.  A  NATIONAL  INTEREST  IS  FELT  IN  THIS  VENERABLE  RELIC,  FROM  THE  FACT  THAT 
LA  FAYETTE  PAID  IT  A  VISIT  IN  1X24,  AND  SALUTED  HIS  FRENCH  BROTHERS  WITH  THAT  LOVING 
ENTHUSIASM  CHARACTERISTIC  OF  THE  FRENCH. 

Taken  from  nature  by  DAVID  M.  Mo  LEAN  just  before  it  was  undermined  by  the  erosion  of  tlic  Mississippi. 


Illinois.  555 

at  St.  Genevieve,  on  the  Spanish  side  of  the  Mississippi 
river,  in  which  capacity  he  was  a  very  tenacious  de- 
fender of  his  Catholic  majesty,  the  king  of  Spain. 
Previous  to  this,  in  1755,  he  was  in  the  French  and 
Indian  army  that  defeated  Braddock  on  the  Mononga- 
hela.  After  he  had  been  sent  to  Virginia  as  a  prisoner 
of  war,  the  blandishment  of  his  manners  secured  for 
him  a  parole,  and  taking  advantage  of  this  parole,  he 
coquetted,  by  letter  or  otherwise,  both  with  the  French 
and  the  English,  and  laid  down  plans  for  military  ex- 
peditions, in  favor  of  sometimes  one  and  sometimes 
the  other.  That  he  was  a  brave  soldier  no  one  ever 
doubted.  That  he  was  treacherous  in  his  allegiance  to 
any  nation  is  equally  true. 


ILLINOIS  UNDER  AMERICAN  RULE. 
From  the  first  the  Americans  had  shown  a  firm  pur- 
pose to  retain  the  Illinois  country,  and,  in  accordance 
with  this  resolution,  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia, 
in  October,  1778,  made  provision  for  the  forms  of  a 
temporary  government  there,  and  the  following  year, 
on  June  15,  John  Todd,  a  colonel  under  Clark,  by  author- 
ity of  these  provisions,  issued  a  proclamation  at  Kaskas- 
kia,  organizing  the  country  into  a  county  of  Virginia, 
to  be  called  Illinois  county,  and  a  fort  was  built  the 
same  year  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi  river,  just 
below  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  to  defend  the  country 
from  the  Spaniards.  At  that  time  Spain  owned  half  of 
South  America,  Central  America,  Mexico,  the  West 
Indies,  Florida  and  all  the  territory  west  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi river  to  the  Pacific  ocean,  which  latter  she  had 
purchased  of  France  in  1761.  She  was  the  European 
power  above  all  others  that  represented  the  intensified 
forms  of  feudalism  and  tyranny,  bold,  defiant  and 
aggressive  in  her  state  councils  and  intolerant  in 
civil  and  religious  rights.  The  fires  of  despotism  were 
consuming  her  vitals,  and  soon  burnt  out  the  materials 
wherewith  to  sustain  her  dogged  and  uncompromising 


556  Illinois. 

determination  to  crush  the  manhood  out  of  her  colonial 
subjects.  The  consequence  was  that  her  power  went 
rapidly  into  decline  when  the  portions  of  America  over 
which  her  laws  extended  were  brought  into  proximity 
and  rivalry  with  the  progressive  spirit  of  young  Amer- 
ica, as  the  sequel  proved.  To  record  the  history  of  her 
attempts  to  extend  her  dominion  over  the  Mississippi 
valley  would  fill  a  volume.  All  of  them  were  abortive, 
for  the  reason  that  her  government  was  behind  the  age 
of  the  progressive  civilization  that  had  been  growing 
into  maturity  under  liberal  English  law  in  America. 
This  law,  when  extended  over  the  French  settlements, 
was  hailed  with  welcome,  for  the  reason  that  it  deprived 
them  of  no  natural  right,  and  most  of  the  inhabitants 
took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  state  of  Virginia 
under  Todd's  administration.  He  was  killed  at  the 
battle  of  Blue  Licks,  in  Kentucky,  August  18,  1782, 
and  was  succeeded  by  Timothy  Montbrun,  a  French- 
man. 

Although  Gov.  Todd's  administration  began  in  the 
early  part  of  the  revolutionary  war,  he  seems  to  have 
possessed  the  true  American  spirit  in  all  his  official 
acts,  and  his  administration  was  in  no  wise  different 
from  what  it  would  have  been  under  the  constitution 
of  the  United  States,  adopted  in  1789. 

From  this  period  till  the  occupation  of  the  country 
by  St.  Clair,  no  official  records  are  extant  of  its  govern- 
ment, and  the  inference  is  that  during  this  hiatus  no 
difficulties  arose  that  could  not  be  settled  by  the  priest. 
It  was  during  this  interim  that  the  first  American  set- 
tlement in  Illinois  was  made.  It  was  located  in  the 
present  county  of  Monroe,  and  significantly  named 
' '  New  Design. ' '  The  names  of  these  settlers  were  James 
Moore,  Shadrack  Bond,  James  Garrison,  Robert  Kidd 
and  Larken  Rutherford.  The  two  latter  were  soldiers 
in  Gen.  Clark's  army.  In  the  summer  of  1781  all  these, 
with  their  families,  had  crossed  the  Alleghany  mount- 
ains and  embarked  from  Pittsburg  on  board  of  what  was 


Illinois.  557 

then  called  an  ark.  When  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  was 
reached,  with  many  a  heavy  strain,  they  urged  their 
ark  up  the  current  of  the  Mississippi  to  the  shore  oppo- 
site this  settlement,  debarked  and  set  the  first  perma- 
nent Anglo-American  stakes  into  the  soil  of  Illinois. 

These  men  were  composed  of  a  more  inflexible 
material  than  the  French.  There  was  no  sympathy 
between  them  and  the  Indians,  and  the  consequence 
was  that  a  hostile  feeling  ultimately  grew  up  between 
each,  which  in  time  made  it  necessary  to  build  a  block- 
house as  a  refuge  in  the  event  of  an  outbreak. 

On  the  5th  of  October,  1787,  Arthur  St.  Clair,  a 
venerable  revolutionary  officer,  was  appointed  gov- 
ernor of  the  entire  country  north  of  the  Ohio  river, 
which  was  designated  as  the  Northwest  Territory.* 
On  the  9th  of  July  the  next  year  he  arrived  at  Marietta, 
a  settlement  recently  made  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mus- 
kingum  river,  and  set  the  new  machinery  of  govern- 
ment in  motion.  The  first  county  was  laid  out  with 
dimensions  large  enough  to  include  all  the  settlements 
on  the  river,  and  named  Washington  county.  About  the 
1st  of  June,  1790,  the  governor,  with  the  judges  of  the 
superior  court,  descended  the  Ohio  river  to  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  and  laid  out  Hamilton  county.  A  few  weeks 
later  he,  with  Winthrop  Sargeant,  secretary  of  the  ter- 
ritory, proceeded  to  Kaskaskia  and  organized  the  set- 
tled portions  of  the  Illinois  country  into  one  county, 
which,  in  honor  of  the  governor,  was  named  St.  Clair 
county.  All  former  official  organizations  here  had  been 
by  authority  of  the  state  of  Virginia,  and  had  been 
transient  in  their  character,  but  now  the  permanency 
of  national  authority  had  stamped  its  seal  on  Illinois 
soil.  A  court  was  established  at  Cahokia,  and  justices 
of  the  peace  appointed  for  each  of  the  adjacent  vil- 
lages. 

In  1795  settlements  had  increased  so  as  to  make 

*For  details  of  St.  Glair's  administration  see  Vol.  I,  page  264  and 
following  pages. 


558  Illinois. 

the  organization  of  another  county  necessary,  and  Ran- 
dolph county  was  laid  out,  occupying  all  of  the  terri- 
tory south  of  an  east  and  west  line  drawn  through  the 
New  Design  settlement  from  the  Mississippi  to  the 
Wabash  river,  St.  Clair  county  occupying  the  territory 
north  of  this  line,  and  Randolph  that  south  of  it. 

By  an  act  of  congress,  May  7, 1800,  the  Northwest 
Territory  was  divided,  the  present  limits  of  the  state 
of  Indiana,  together  with  those  of  Michigan,  Wiscon- 
sin and  Illinois,  being  set  off  and  named  Indiana  Terri- 
tory. On  the  13th  of  the  same  month  William  Henry 
Harrison  was  appointed  governor,  and  John  Gibson,  the 
same  to  whom  Logan  made  his  celebrated  speech,*  was 
appointed  secretary.  The  seat  of  government  was 
fixed  at  Vincennes,  at  which  place  Harrison  arrived 
January  10,  1801,  and  immediately  organized  the  new 
government. 

On  the  3d  of  January,  1805,  an  election  was  held 
by  order  of  Governor  Harrison  to  elect  representatives 
for  the  assembly  at  Vincennes.  The  legislature  met 
July  29,  1805.  Shadrack  Bond  and  William  Biggs 
were  chosen  to  represent  St.  Clair  county,  and  George 
Fisher  Randolph  county. 

By  an  act  of  congress,  approved  January  11,  1805, 
Indiana  Territory  was  divided,  all  that  portion  of  it  lying 
north  of  a  line  due  east  from  the  southern  extremity  of 
Lake  Michigan  being  set  off  and  named  Michigan 
Territory.  This  only  took  from  the  Indiana  Territory 
the  portion  of  Michigan  between  Lakes  Huron  and 
Michigan,  that  portion  of  the  present  state  of  Michi- 
gan bordering  on  Lake  Superior  having  been  annexed 
to  the  state  since  that  period,  to  offset  for  the  loss  of 
territory  claimed  by  Ohio  on  her  southern  border.  On 
February  3,  1809,  Indiana  Territory  was  again  divided 
by  setting  off  the  territory  of  Illinois,  embracing  its 
present  limits,  together  with  the  present  limits  of  Wis- 
consin and  the  peninsular  portion  of  Michigan.  Ninian 

See  Vol.  I,  page  219. 


Illinois.  559 

Edwards  was  appointed  governor,  his  commission 
bearing-  date  April  24,  1809.  Nathaniel  Pope  was 
appointed  secretary.  The  seat  of  government  was 
fixed  at  Kaskaskia,  at  which  place  Governor  Edwards 
assumed  his  official  duties  on  the  llth  of  the  following 
June. 

The  machinery  of  the  first  grade  of  government 
was  now  put  in  practice.  By  it  the  governor  and 
judges  constituted  the  legislature. 

By  an  act  of  congress  May  21, 1812,  the  territory 
of  Illinois  was  promoted  to  the  second  grade  of  gov- 
ernment. Up  to  this  time  every  county  and  town  officer 
had  been  appointed  by  the  governor  ;  now  they  were 
to  be  elected  by  the  people,  but  the  right  of  suffrage  was 
extended  to  those  only  who  had  paid  a  territorial  tax. 

Three  new  counties,  Madison,  Gallatin  and  John- 
son, were  organized,  making  five  in  all,  and  an  election 
was  ordered  in  each  to  elect  five  members  of  the  legis- 
lative council,  seven  representatives  and  one  delegate 
to  congress.  Shadrack  Bond  was  elected  to  the  latter 
office,  being  the  first  one  elected  by  the  people  for  that 
position. 

Illinois  was  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  state  in 
1818,  but  even  at  that  time,  much  of  the  northern  por- 
tion of  the  state  was  unsurveyed  government  lands, 
the  Indian  titles  to  which  had  not  been  extinguished. 
The  organization  of  counties  in  Illinois,  as  settlements 
progressed  northwardly,  has  been  recorded  in  forego- 
ing portions  of  this  work,  and  also  the  removal  of  the 
Indians,  to  various  reservations  in  the  west. 


560 


Illinois. 


To  WHOM  IT  MAY  CONCERN  : 

We  hereby  certify  that  the  plat  of  the  "  Original 
Town  of  Chicago,"  as  herewith  shown  in  Blanchard's 
"History  of  Chicago, "is  a  fac-simile  copy  of  a  plat  of 
said  Original  Town  shown  on  page  13  of  our  Atlas  of  the 
City  of  Chicago,  published  September  1,  1884,  except 
the  lines,  words  and  figures  in  red,  showing  the  present 
dock  lines  of  the  Chicago  river,  which  were  not  shown 
upon  the  original  plat. 

The  recorded  plat  of  the  Original  Town  was  des- 
troyed with  other  records  of  Cook  county,  in  the  great 
fire  of  October  9,  1871,  and  the  plat  in  our  Atlas  was  a 
correct  copy  of  a  plat  forming  part  of  an  abstract  of 
property  in  said  Original  Town,  made  by  Messrs. 
Handy  &  Co.,  abstract  makers,  and  belonging  to  the 
estate  of  the  late  Isaac  N.  Arnold. 

We  were  familiar  with  the  said  recorded  plat,  and 
we  believe  the  plat  herewith  shown  of  the  Original 
Town  of  Chicago  to  be  an  accurate  copy  of  said  recorded 
plat,  with  the  exception  of  the  lines,  etc.,  shown  in  red 
ink,  indicating  changes  in  the  margin  of  the  Chicago 

river. 

GREELEY  HOWARD  COMPANY, 

Surveyors  and  Publishers  of  Atlases. 


D espial  nes 

~3«|.4|f  I  •  1  Ml* PSJT-^T 


S+a  f  e 


s-t-. 


FOR  EXPLANATION   SEE  OPPOSITE  SIDE  OF   THE  SHEET. 


THE   IROQUOIS  —  THEIR  INFLUENCE  ON   THE 
UNITED   STATES. 

Of  the  three  nations  who  first  began  the  settle- 
ments of  North  America,  the  Spanish  was  the  first ; 
they  settled  at  St.  Augustine  in  Florida  in  1565.  The 
French  was  the  next ;  they  settled  at  Port  Royal  (now 
Annapolis)  on  the  Bay  of  Fundy  in  1604,  also  at  Quebec 
on  the  St.  Lawrence  river  in  1608.  The  English  settled 
at  Jamestown  on  the  James  river  in  1607,  and  at  Ply- 
mouth in  1620.  Of  these  nations  the  Spanish  was  the 
only  one  that  disregarded  the  force  and  influence  of 
the  aborigines  of  the  soil,  making  no  attempt  at  any 
political  alliance  with  them  ;  and  it  is  doubtless  due  to 
this-  hauteur  and  the  intolerant  disposition  that  pro- 
duced it,  that  Spain  lost  all  her  possessions  on  this 
continent  soon  after  she  came  into  juxtaposition  with 
the  French  or  the  English  colonists.  Both  of  these  two 
latter  nations  were  circumspectful  in  their  demeanor 
toward  the  natives,  and  each  took  early  measures  to 
form  alliances  with  them.  Neither  of  them  at  first  had 
any  knowledge  of  the  vast  extent  and  value  of  the  great 
interior  of  North  America.  Fortunately  for  the  Eng- 
lish, their  interests  became  identified  with  the  Iroquois 
confederacy  from  the  first ;  and  unfortunately  for  the 
French,  they  became  the  enemies  of  this  confederacy 
by  having  allied  themselves  to  the  Adirondacks  and 
other  tribes  of  Canada  contiguous  to  their  settlements, 
which  tribes  were  enemies  of  the  Iroquois. 

The  Dutch  exploration  of  the  Hudson  river  bears 
the  date  of  1609,  and  their  first  settlement  at  Fort 

(661) 


562      Influence  of  the  Iroquois  on  the  United  States. 

Orange  (now  Albany)  the  date  of  1615.  From  thence- 
forward there  was  an  unremitting  rivalry  in  the  fur 
trade  between  the  Dutch  of  the  Hudson  river  and  the 
French  of  the  St.  Lawrence  river.  When  the  English, 
under  the  duke  of  York,  took  possession  of  New 
Amsterdam  (now  New  York)  in  1664,  and  of  the  entire 
Hudson  river  country  with  this  conquest,  none  of  the 
conditions  existing  between  the  Iroquois  confederacy 
and  the  Dutch  were  changed  ;  but,  on  the  contrary, 
commercial  relations  consisting  of  an  exchange  of  furs 
and  peltries  on  one  side  and  firearms  and  trinkets 
on  the  other  continued  the  alliance  of  their  interests, 
and  strengthened  their  friendship.  Pending  this 
increasing  friendliness  between  the  English  and  the 
Iroquois,  the  French  were  almost  constantly  at  war 
with  this  powerful  confederacy  ;  sometimes  to  defend 
their  Canadian  allies  and  sometimes  to  defend  even 
themselves  from  Iroquois  invasion.  One  of  the  first 
acts  of  French  hostility  against  the  Iroquois  had 
place  soon  after  Champlain  had  settled  Quebec  in  1608, 
at  which  time  he  unwittingly  consented  to  lead  a  party 
of  his  allies  against  their  old  time  foes,  the  Iroquois, 
and  met  them  the  next  year,  1609,  on  the  banks  of 
Lake  Champlain,  defeating  them  in  battle,  the  Indian 
weapons — bows  and  arrows — being  insufficient  to  match 
the  firearms  of  the  French.  Later,  in  1615,  Champlain, 
at  the  head  of  a  small  company  of  French  soldiers, 
joined  some  Hurons  in  an  expedition  against  the  Sene- 
cas,  one  of  the  five  Iroquois  nations  south  of  Lake 
Ontario.  Proceeding  into  the  enemy's  country  to  the 
neighborhood  of  Lake  Canandaigua,  he  discovered  a 
fort  occupied  by  the  enemy,  which  he  attacked  after 
some  skirmishes  with  the  enemy  outside  of  its  inclos- 
ure,  accompanied  with  losses  in  killed  and  wounded  on 
both  sides.  The  French  attack  against  this  fort  lasted 
three  hours,  and  resulted  in  the  wounding  of  a  few 
French  soldiers  and  more  of  the  Huron  allies.  Cham- 
plain  himself  had  received  three  painful,  but  not 


Influence  of  the  Iroquois  on  the  United  States.      563 

dangerous,  wounds,  when  the  French  and  their  allies 
retreated.  This  Indian  fort  was  a  masterpiece  of 
workmanship  for  defense,  so  built  as  to  shield  its  de- 
fenders from  attack,  its  barricades  being  about  thirty 
feet  high.  As  will  be  seen  in  the  picture  of  it,  here- 
with presented,  the  French  had  built  a  platform  on 


ABORIGINAL  IROQUOIS   FORT. 


trestle  work  as  high  as  the  fort,  and  twenty  stalwart 
men  carried  this  platform  from  where  it  was  built  to  its 
walls.  From  its  height,  which  commanded  the  inside 
ground  of  the  fort,  sharpshooters  were  stationed  ;  but 
the  foes  were  concealed  behind  ingenious  constructions 
of  woodwork  in  the  fort  itself. 


564      Influence  of  the  Iroquois  on  the  United  States. 

The  most  characteristic  name  ever  given  to  the 
Iroquois  confederacy  was  the  ' '  Romans  of  the  New 
World." 

This  confederacy  first  consisted  of  the  Mohawks, 
the  Onondagas,  the  Senecas,  theOneidas,  the  Cayugas. 
In  1715  the  Tuscaroras,  a  tribe  from  North  Carolina 
who  spoke  the  same  language,  were  admitted  into  the 
confederacy.  How  this  tribe,  who  were  evidently  of 
Iroquois  stock,  had  wandered  to  that  place  is  not 
known,  but  it  is  known  that  they  had  been  hard  pressed 
by  the  neighboring  tribes  in  that  vicinity,  and  naturally 
drifted  toward  their  kinsfolk,  the  Iroquois,  for  protec- 
tion. They  were  admitted  into  the  league  as  a  con- 
stituent tribe  on  terms  of  equality  and  independence, 
except  that  they  were  not  allowed  to  be  represented 
in  the  general  council  of  sachems. 

POLITICAL  ORGANIZATION. 

The  Six  Nations  of  the  Iroquois,  including  the 
Tuscaroras,  were  subdivided  into  tribes,  which  were 
arranged  in  two  divisions,  and  named  as  follows  : 

Wolf,  Bear,  Beaver,  Turtle. 

Deer,  Snipe,  Heron,  Hawk. 

The  Senecas  had  eight  tribes,  the  Cayugas  eight, 
the  Tuscaroras  seven,  the  Onondagas  eight,  the  Oneidas 
three  and  the  Mohawks  three.  By  the  original  laws  of 
the  league,  neither  of  these  tribes  could  intermarry. 
Either  of  the  first  four  tribes  could  intermarry  with 
either  of  the  last  four.  When  a  young  man  went  to 
another  tribe  for  a  wife,  the  mothers  of  the  lovers 
respectively  must  negotiate  for  the  marriage.  These 
laws  made  a  still  stronger  bond  in  the  league.  Under 
them  the  husband  and  wife  were  of  different  tribes. 
The  children  always  followed  the  tribe  of  the  mother, 
who  inherited  the  property  of  her  deceased  husband, 
and  the  value  of  this  property,  however  small,  must 
necessarily  be  entailed  to  a  different  tribe  from  that  to 
which  the  deceased  husband  belonged.  The  son  could 
not  inherit  his  father's  sachemship  or  wampum.  These 


Influence  of  the  Iroquois  on  the  United  States.      565 

laws  of  heredity  strengthened  the  socialistic  ties  of  the 
different  tribes.  They  were  strictly  obeyed  and  could 
not  be  deviated  from  except  under  penalty  of  social 
ostracism.  Divorces  were  seldom  desired,  but  if  any 
inharmony  existed  between  married  couples,  the 
mothers  of  each  party  were  expected  to  settle  such 
differences.  In  case  they  could  not  be  settled  amicably 
either  party  was  at  liberty  to  break  the  marriage  rela- 
tion without  censure. 

In  their  religion  they  had  no  word  in  their  lan- 
guage which  could  express  profanity  to  the  Great 
Spirit  (their  deity),  whom  every  one  revered  with 
pious  adoration. 

According  to  the  best  traditionary  testimony,  the 
Iroquois  League  or  Ho-de-no-sau-nee  was  formulated 
by  Da-ga-no-we-da,  one  of  the  wise  men  of  the  Onon- 
daga  Nation.  Under  his  eloquent  tutelage  he  induced 
the  wise  men  and  chiefs  of  the  Iroquois  Nations  to 
hold  a  ' '  Council  Fire ' '  on  the  northern  shore  of  Onon- 
daga  lake,  where  after  grave  consultation  the  celebrated 
League  was  entered  into.  The  object  of  this  League 
was  for  mutual  protection  against  other  tribes.  The 
principle  involved  aimed  at  an  empire,  wherewith  to 
hold  the  "balance  of  power,"  not  essentially  different 
from  the  doctrine  of  the  balance  of  power  question 
which  has  prevailed  for  more  than  a  century  in  Europe. 
At  the  formation  of  the  League  fifty  men  noted  for  their 
wisdom  were  appointed  sachems  (each  tribe  being  rep- 
resented), with  authority  to  make  all  political  laws  for 
the  government  of  the  entire  Iroquois  Nation.  The 
sachemship  was  made  hereditary,  as  well  as  the  indi- 
vidual title.  The  ratification  of  the  general  council  of 
all  the  sachems  was  necessary  at  the  ceremony  of  in- 
vesting each  with  his  title  and  confirming  his  authority. 
The  sachems  were  of  equal  rank,  but,  like  our  own  rep- 
resentative men  in  congress,  their  influence  was  com- 
mensurate with  their  political  sagacity  and  eloquence. 
The  power  of  the  sachems  was  found  insufficient  to 


566      Influence  of  the  Iroquois  on  the  United  States. 

answer  the  wants  of  the  Nation,  and  some  years  after 
the  founding  of  the  League  the  office  of  "Chiefs"  was 
instituted,  whose  authority  was  given  them  by  the  pop- 
ular voice  according  to  merit,  deserved  for  some  act 
of  bravery  or  for  wise  counsel.  To  the  chiefs  were 
assigned  military  expeditions  and  council  in  civil  mat- 
ters when  occasion  required  it.  The  council  of  sachems, 
at  the  "raising  up  of  a  chief,"  substituted  a  new  name 
for  his  original  name,  appropriate  to  his  qualifications. 
The  orator  "Red  Jacket,"  when  made  a  chief,  was 
given  the  name  '  *  Sa-go-ye-wat-ha  " — "  Keeper  Awake, ' ' 
in  appreciation  of  his  powers  of  eloquence,  instead  of 
his  original  name,  " O-te-ti-an-i"  —  "Always  Ready.'' 
The  foregoing  tribal  relations  to  the  entire  League 
resemble  the  political  status  of  the  United  States— 
the  different  tribes  in  their  respective  localities  repre- 
senting the  different  states  of  the  American  Union, 
subject  to  congress  and  the  United  States  senate.  The 
states  are  governed  by  the  constitution,  which  has  to 
be  guarded  with  tenacity  to  prevent  infringement  upon 
its  provisions.  An  unwritten  law  among  the  Iroquois 
was  their  safeguard  against  the  violation  of  their  un- 
written constitution  by  tribes  or  individuals. 

Ho-de-no-sau-nee  (People  of  the  Long  House)  be- 
sides the  People  of  the  Confederacy,  was  a  term  with 
the  Troquois  Nation  that  had  a  similar  significance 
to  the  Iroquis  Nation  that  the  term  Uncle  Sam  has  to 
the  people  of  the  United  States.  Between  the  Hudson 
river  on  the  east  and  the  Niagara  river  on  the  west,  and 
from  the  St.  Lawrence  on  the  north  to  the  Susque- 
hanna  on  the  south,  the  Long  House,  or  the  domains 
of  the  Iroquois  tribes,  was  spread  out  and  constituted 
the  fairest  portions  of  the  entire  country,  as  it  was 
known  in  colonial  times.  The  Onondaga  Nation,  being 
situated  in  central  position,  were  made  the  keepers  of 
both  the  council  brand  and  of  the  wampum,  by  which 
the  structure  and  principles  of  their  government,  and 
their  laws  and  treaties  were  memorized  (a  retentive 


Influence  of  the  Iroquois  on  the  United  States.      567 

memory  was  a  requisite  necessary  in  the  sachem  ap- 
pointed as  keeper  of  the  wampum).  At  stated  periods, 
usually  in  the  autumn  of  each  year,  the  sachems  of 
the  League  assembled  in  council,  at  Onondaga,  to  legis- 
late for  the  common  welfare.  Exigencies  of  a  public 
or  domestic  character  often  led  to  summoning  of  their 
council  at  other  seasons;  but  the  place  of  session  was 
not  confined  to  Onondaga.  It  could  be  held  in  the 
territory  of  either  of  the  Nations,  under  established 
usages. 

Though  the  Iroquois  brought  the  Delawares  and 
other  tribes  to  the  south  under  temporary  allegiance, 
yet  their  greatest  force  was  employed  to  subjugate 
tribes  to  the  west  of  them,  especially  the  Illinois  tribes, 
who  had  felt  the  weight  of  their  avenging  hand  before 
the  French  came  to  their  rescue.  La  Salle,  in  1682, 
had  persuaded  the  Senecas,  by  dint  of  much  flattery 
and  many  presents,  to  allow  him  to  build  a  vessel  at  the 
eastern  extremity  of  Lake  Erie,  wherewith  to  convey 
men  and  goods  to  the  Illinois  country.  The  same  year 
Tonty,  his  lieutenant,  built  a  fort  on  Starved  Rock,  for 
defense  of  both  the  French  and  the  Illinois  tribes 
against  Iroquois  invasion,  which  gave  the  Illinois  tribes 
a  respite  from  the  visitation  of  their  enemies;  but  the 
French  never  succeeded  in  establishing  uninterrupted 
communication  between  Canada  and  the  west  suffi- 
ciently to  prevent  the  English  from  getting  the  lion's 
share  of  the  western  fur  trade  through  Iroquois  inter- 
vention and  protection.  The  ambition  of  the  French 
during  these  and  following  years  was  to  possess  and 
control  the  St.  Lawrence  valley,  the  Mississippi  valley 
and  the  region  of  the  Great  Lakes.  The  English,  on 
their  part,  held  the  Atlantic  seaboard  and  the  Hudson 
river  country  with  a  firm  grip.  Their  alliance  with  the 
Iroquois  made  them  invulnerable,  but  this  same  alliance 
rendered  French  possessions  precarious.  This  uncer- 
tainty prevailed  till  the  French  and  Indian  war  began 
in  1755.  It  raged  seven  years.  The  French  had  in 


568      Influence  of  the  Iroquois  on  the  United  States. 

their  alliance  the  entire  Indian  tribes  of  Canada  and 
the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  while  the  English  relied 
upon  the  faithful  Iroquois  to  help  fight  their  battles. 
For  years  the  issue  trembled  in  the  balance,  till  at  last 
the  conquest  of  Quebec,  by  General  Wolfe,  settled  this 
stupendous  question,  and  substantially  gave  the  entire 
country  to  the  English  in  1760, 

At  the  close  of  this  war  there  was  a  strong  effort 
made  in  the  British  cabinet  to  leave  the  French  in 
possession  of  Canada  and  the  Mississippi  valley,  assert- 
ing that  the  French  power  left  here  would  be  a  con- 
stant menace  to  the  English  colonists;  thereby  insuring 
their  loyalty  to  the  mother  country,  in  order  to  protect 
themselves  from  French  aggression.  Pitt,  the  great 
English  statesman,  would  not  listen  to  this  unnecessary 
and  timid  policy,  as  he  termed  it,  and  insisted  on  driv- 
ing the  French  entirely  out  of  North  America,  and 
establishing  English  colonial  rule  in  its  place. 

During  this  eventful  war,  had  the  Iroquois  fought 
in  favor  of  the  French  instead  of  the  English,  the 
whole  interior  of  the  continent,  embracing  the  coun- 
tries along  the  St.  Lawrence  river,  the  great  chain  of 
lakes  and  the  Mississippi  valley,  including  the  Ohio 
river  valley,  must  have  remained  in  the  hands  of  the 
French  and  remained  indefinitely  under  French  laws. 
Under  this  regime  there  could  have  been  no  revolt 
of  the  thirteen  American  colonies,  at  least  for  a  cen- 
tury. There  could  have  been  no  United  States,  no  Great 
Republic  to  stimulate  invention  and  introduce  the  re- 
forms which  have  startled  the  world  during  the  last 
century.  There  would  have  been  no  WASHINGTON,  no 
FRANKLIN  and  no  LINCOLN. 


WALTER  L.    NEWBERRY. 


THE   NEWBERRY   LIBRARY. 

The  Newberry  Library  owes  its  existence  to  the 
public  spirit  and  philanthropy  of  Mr.  Walter  L.  New- 
berry,  one  of  the  earlier  settlers  of  Chicago. 

Mr.  Newberry  came  of  old  New  England  stock, 
his  earliest  New  England  ancestor  being  Thomas  New- 
berry,  who  came  from  Devonshire,  England,  and  located 
in  Dorchester,  Mass.,  in  1630.  After  the  death  of 
Thomas  Newberry,  the  surviving  members  of  his  family 
removed  to  Windsor,  Conn.,  where  they  remained  for 
several  generations.  Mr.  Walter  L.  Newberry,  the 
founder  of  the  library,  was  born  in  East  Windsor,  Conn. , 
September  18, 1804.  He  was  educated  at  Clinton,  N.  Y., 
where  he  fitted  for  admission  to  the  Military  Academy 
at  West  Point,  to  which  he  was  appointed  by  President 
Andrew  Jackson.  At  the  time  for  passing  his  exam- 
inations, however,  he  was  ill  for  several  months.  After 
recovering  his  health  he  was  offered1  a  position  with 
his  brother,  Oliver  Newberry,  in  a  mercantile  house  at 
Buffalo,  which  he  accepted,  thereby  surrendering  his 
West  Point  commission.  In  1828  he  located  in  Detroit, 
Mich.,  and  established  a  dry  goods  business  there. 
Four  or  five  years  afterward,  having  in  the  meantime 
been  reasonably  successful  in  business,  he  made  a  trip 
around  the  Great  Lakes  with  Gen.  Lewis  Cass  and  Will- 
iam B.  Astor,  in  company  with  whom  he  purchased 
lands  at  several  points  in  the  western  country,  but 
especially  in  and  around  the  small  village  of  Chicago, 
to  which  he  removed  in  1833,  and  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  long,  active  and  honorable  life.  He 

(569) 


570  The  Newberry  Library. 

was  a  large  owner  of  real  estate,  the  increasing  value 
of  which  was  the  foundation  of  his  great  fortune,  but 
he  was  also  interested  in  commercial  enterprises,  and 
among  other  things  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Merchants'  Loan  and  Trust  Co.  bank,  of  which  he  was 
a  director  almost  constantly  from  the  founding  of  the 
bank  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  also  president 
and  a  director  of  the  old  Galena  road,  later  a  part  of 
the  North-Western  railway  system.  He  was  always 
interested  in  educational  matters,  and  was  for  many 
years  a  member  of  the  Chicago  board  of  education,  was 
twice  its  chairman,  and  was  one  of  the  founders  and 
for  six  years  the  president  of  the  Chicago  Historical 
Society. 

His  health  becoming  impaired,  he  visited  Europe  in 
the  autumn  of  1857,  and  finding  the  climate  of  southern 
France  of  great  benefit,  he  spent  his  winters  there  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death  in  1868.  On  his  way  out  in  the 
latter  year  he  died  at  sea.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
his  family  consisted  of  his  wife  and  two  daughters. 

By  his  will  he  gave  his  property,  substantially,  to 
his  wife  and  children  ;  but  made  a  proviso  in  such  will, 
by  the  terms  of  which,  in  case  his  two  daughters  died 
unmarried,  one-half  of  his  estate,  upon  the  death  of  his 
wife,  in  case  she  survived  the  children,  should  go  to 
found  a  free  public  library,  to  be  built  in  the  north 
division  of  the  city  of  Chicago.  The  other  half  of  his 
estate  was  to  go  to  his  nephews  and  nieces,  one  of 
whom  was  his  namesake,  now  living  in  Chicago  and  a 
member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  library  estab- 
lished under  the  provisions  of  his  uncle's  will. 

Both  of  his  daughters  died  unmarried,  whereby  the 
provisions  of  his  will  in  regard  to  a  public  library 
became  operative.  Under  the  provisions  of  the  will 
the  estate  of  Mr.  Newberry  remained  in  the  hands  of 
the  trustees  designated  in  the  will  until  the  death  of 
Mrs.  Newberry,  which  occurred  over  seventeen  years 
after  the  death  of  her  husband. 


w 

H 
O 


The  Newberrry  Library.  571 

Much  credit  has  always  been  given  in  the  matter 
of  the  library  to  Honorable  Mark  Skinner,  who  drew 
the  will  of  Mr.  Newberry  and  who  was  one  of  the 
trustees  named  in  the  will  for  his  estate.  When  the 
will  was  drawn  the  two  daughters  were  young  women, 
so  that  the  possibility  of  the  founding  of  a  library,  under 
the  will,  seemed  remote,  but  Mr.  Skinner  suggested  the 
provision  of  .the  will  (in  case  the  daughters  died  unmar- 
ried), which  suggestion  afterwards  gave  full  force  to 
the  will,  resulting  in  the  establishment  of  an  institution 
of  great  and  constantly  increasing  public  usefulness. 
In  1887  the  trustees  under  the  will  commenced  the  pur- 
chase of  books  for  the  library,  having  designated  as 
librarian  Dr.  William  F.  Poole,  who  was,  at  the  time 
of  his  appointment,  librarian  of  the  Chicago  Public 
Library,  and  had  acquired  a  wide  reputation  by  his 
work  in  that  and  other  institutions,  especially  the 
Boston  Atheneum,  and  by  his  publications  in  regard  to 
the  establishing,  equipping  and  working  of  great  libra- 
ries. The  most  notable  work  of  this  kind  was  his  "  In- 
dex to  Periodical  Literature,"  which  made  available 
the  immense  amount  of  valuable  information  embraced 
in  its  great  field,  which  for  want  of  an  index  had  long 
remained  almost  inaccessible  for  the  work  of  students. 

The  library  first  occupied  temporary  quarters  on 
La  Salle  street;  afterward  a  building  was  erected  on 
the  North  Side,  with  the  idea  of  containing  the  library 
for  a  few  years,  and  being  then  converted  into  an  apart- 
ment house,  to  be  rented  with  the  other  property  of  the 
library,  as  a  producer  of  income  for  the  work  of  the 
institution.  The  books  accumulated  so  rapidly  that 
another  building,  also  temporary  in  its  nature,  was 
erected  on  North  State  street,  and  this  was  the  home  of 
the  library  for  several  years  until  its  removal  to  the 
capacious  and  convenient  quarters  which  it  now  occu- 
pies. Shortly  before  its  removal  to  the  new  building, 
the  trustees,  Mr.  William  H.  Bradley  and  Mr.  Eliphalet 
W.  Blatchf ord  .(Mr.  Bradley  having  succeeded  Judge 


572  The  Newberry  Library. 

Mark  Skinner,  as  trustee,  upon  the  resignation  of 
Judge  Skinner),  organized  under  the  laws  of  Illinois  a 
corporation  known  as  the  Newberry  Library,  and  des- 
ignated its  board  of  trustees,  being  thirteen  in  number, 
two  of  whom  were  the  trustees  of  the  estate,  and  the 
others  were  the  following  citizens  of  Chicago: 

George  E.  Adams. 

Edward  E.  Ayer. 

Daniel  Goodwin. 

Franklin  H.  Head. 

Edward  S.  Isham. 

Alexander  C.  McClurg. 

Franklin  MacVeagh. 

Walter  C.  Newberry. 

Lambert  Tree. 

Henry  J.  Willing. 

John  P.  Wilson. 

Messrs.  MacVeagh  and  Goodwin  subsequently  re- 
signed from  the  board  of  trustees,  and  their  places 
were  filled  by  the  appointment  of  Mr.  George  Manierre 
and  Mr.  Bryan  Lathrop.  Two  additional  vacancies 
were  caused,  one  by  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Wm.  H. 
Bradley,  and  the  other  by  the  death  of  Gen.  Alexander 
C.  McClurg,  which  were  filled  by  the  appointments  of 
Mr.  Moses  J.  Wentworth  and  Mr.  Horace  H.  Martin. 

At  the  time  of  this  writing,  March,  1902,  the  news 
of  the  death  of  Mr.  Edward  S.  Isham,  one  of  the 
trustees  and  vice-president  of  the  corporation  from  its 
organization,  has  been  received.  The  vacancy  caused 
by  his  death  has  been  filled  by  the  election  of  Mr. 
David  B.  Jones. 

The  entire  block  of  land,  which  was  formerly  the 
homestead  of  Mr.  William  B.  Ogden,  was  purchased  by 
the  trustees  as  the  site  for  the  library,  and  the  perma- 
nent home  of  the  library  was  erected  thereon.  At  the 
present  time  the  library  contains  about  227,549  volumes. 

At  the  time  when  the  property  was  turned  over  to 
the  corporation  its  value  was  estimated  at  about 


The  Newberry  Library.  573 

$2,500,000.  A  considerable  part  of  this  is  represented 
by  the  block  of  ground  and  library  building,  and  a 
large  part  of  the  remainder  consists,  up  to  the  present 
time,  of  unimproved  property  which  produces  no 
income,  and  is  a  burden  by  reason  of  the  taxes  which 
must  be  paid  upon  it  from  the  income  of  the  library. 
Its  net  income,  therefore,  available  for  library  pur- 
poses is  much  less  than  would  be  expected  from  the 
magnitude  of  Mr.  Newberry's  gift. 

A  portion  of  the  land  was  located  upon  the  shore 
of  Lake  Michigan,  and  under  the  provisions  of  the 
various  statutes  providing  for  the  extension  of  the 
Lake  Shore  Drive  and  the  surrender  on  the  part  of  the 
property  owners  of  their  riparian  rights  upon  receiving 
the  title  to  a  certain  amount  of  land  originally  covered 
by  the  water,  the  library  received  as  accretion  a  large 
and  valuable  increase  of  its  real  estate.  The  library, 
however,  was  obliged  to  expend  $100,000  to  fill  in  the 
partly  submerged  portion  of  its  property;  and,  as  this 
made  land  has  not  yet  become  marketable  at  reason- 
able rates,  these  improvements  have  served  to  still 
further  lessen  the  income  of  the  library,  although  it  is 
hoped  that  in  the  future  the  value  of  the  property  will 
make  its  improvement  a  wise  investment.  In  addition 
to  this  the  library  has  much  other  vacant  property, 
some  of  it  near  the  stock  yards;  but  with  the  growth 
of  the  city  this  property  can  ultimately  be  sold  out  to 
good  advantage  or  rented  out  under  ground  leases,  and  it 
is  hoped  that  the  increase  in  the  value  of  its  real  estate 
may  ultimately  make  the  income-bearing  portion  of  its 
property  of  a  value  of  at  least  $2,500,000,  the  income 
of  which  should  give  to  the  library  double  its  present 
available  means  and  enable  it  to  greatly  increase  its 
field  of  usefulness. 

The  library  has  also  suffered  a  temporary  increase 
in  its  operating  expenses  by  reason  of  the  plan  upon 
which  the  library  building  was  erected  and  the  library 
organized,  according  to  the  views  of  Dr.  Poole.  Instead 


574  The  Newberry  Library. 

of  the  methods  prevailing1  in  most  great  libraries,  of 
book  stacks  where  all  the  books  are  stored  and  where 
the  books  are  taken  to  a  general  reading  room,  the 
idea  of  Dr.  Poole  was  to  have  different  rooms  for  each 
of  the  chief  literary  departments.  This  arrangement, 
while  it  will  ultimately  probably  be  the  best  and  most 
economical  when  the  library  reaches  double  or  treble 
its  present  size,  is  expensive  at  the  present  time  by 
reason  of  its  requiring  a  greater  number  of  attendants 
to  serve  the  public,  since  each  of  the  various  depart- 
ments of  the  library  is  operated  like  an  independent 
library,  requiring  attendants  to  serve  the  patrons  of 
that  especial  department.  With  the  increase  in  the 
size  of  the  library  and  the  number  of  visitors,  the  plans 
of  Dr.  Poole  will  doubtless  be  wise  and  judicious. 

The  principal  -departments  of  the  library  are  as 
follows:  Medicine,  bibliography,  the  museum,  general 
reading  room,  philosophy,  history,  genealogy,  music, 
art  and  letters,  and  science. 

The  department  of  genealogy,  of  town,  county  and 
state  histories,  is  very  large  and  is  one  of  the  most 
complete  in  the  country,  and  is  at  present  the  most  ex- 
tensively patronized.  Great  numbers  of  people  visit 
these  departments  for  the  purpose  of  demonstrating 
their  qualifications  as  members  of  the  Colonial  Dames, 
the  Sons  and  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution, 
and  various  other  state  and  patriotic  societies  which 
have  been  organized  to  perpetuate  the  work  of  those 
who  have  been  eminent  in  promoting  the  welfare  and 
development  of  the  nation  in  various  ways. 

The  department  of  fish  and  fish  culture  is  also 
especially  well  filled  and  organized. 

The  attendance  upon  the  library  and  the  increased 
number  of  books  used  give  a  constantly  greater  proof 
of  the  value  of  its  work. 

One  of  the  special  features  of  the  library  is  the 
prospective  addition  of  the  extensive  private  library  of 
Mr.  Edward  E.  Ayer.  This  collection  is  the  result  of 


The  Newbewy  Library.  575 

twenty  years'  labor  and  the  expenditure  of  a  very  large 
amount  of  money  by  Mr.  Ayer.  His  idea  in  starting 
his  collection  was  to  get  everything  available  which 
would  throw  light  upon  the  character  of  the  North 
American  Indians.  This  work,  however,  calls  neces- 
sarily for  all  the  publications  of  the  early  settlers  in 
every  part  of  North  America,  as  the  writings  of  these 
settlers,  and  with  them  the  writings  of  the  early  mis- 
sionaries, the  Jesuit  fathers  and  all  the  early  explorers 
contain  constant  references  to  the  character,  manners 
and  customs  of  the  Indians.  These  to  the  writer  of 
history  are  of  almost  priceless  value,  not  only  for  what 
they  show  as  to  the  Indian  tribes,  but  of  the  work  of 
the  early  colonists  in  every  part  of  North  America. 
Mr.  Ayer's  library  is  especially  rich  in  the  publications 
of  the  Jesuit  fathers,  and  of  the  Spanish  and  French  as 
well  as  the  English  settlements  of  North  America.  No 
thorough  history  of  any  part  of  North  America  can  be 
written  without  reference  to  the  volumes  embraced  in 
Mr.  Ayer's  library,  and  great  numbers  of  these  volumes 
can  be  found  in  few  other  libraries  in  the  world.  By 
the  liberality  of  Mr.  Ayer  these  books,  while  at  the 
present  time  largely  in  the  library  at  his  residence,  are 
catalogued  in  the  Newberry  Library  and  sent  there  at 
the  call  of  any  person  wishing  to  consult  such  volumes.. 
There  are  several  similar  collections  in  England  and 
the  United  States,  of  what  are  known  under  the  general 
term,  Americana,  but  Mr.  Ayer's  library  contains  sev- 
eral volumes  which  have  been  sought  for  many  years 
in  vain  by  the  British  Museum,  as  well  as  various  other 
volumes  not  found  in  any  of  the  similar  libraries  in 
America.  A  catalogue  of  Mr.  Ayer's  library  is  now  in 
preparation,  which  will  be  completed  in  ten  large 
volumes  in  the  course  of  the  next  few  years,  and  a 
sufficient  number  will  be  printed  to  supply  other 
libraries  and  students  of  American  history,  and  thus 
make  the  library  available  to  a  vast  and  constantly 
increasing  audience. 


576  The  Newberry  Library. 

Mr.  Henry  Probasco,  of  Cincinnati,  was  one  of  the 
early  and  enthusiastic  collectors  of  rare  and  valuable 
books  in  the  United  States,  and  his  collection  embraced 
many  volumes  which  are  now  almost  priceless,  but 
which  were  collected  by  him  when  works  of  that  char- 
acter could  be  obtained  at  much  more  moderate  prices 
than  at  the  present  time.  Mr.  Probasco  finally  decided 
to  sell  his  collection,  and  it  was  offered  to  the  New- 
berry  Library  soon  after  its  organization.  Dr.  Poole 
selected  from  Mr.  Probasco's  collection  books  which 
were  purchased  for  about  $40,000,  and  which  at  the 
present  time  would  probably  cost  double  that  amount. 
They  consist  largely  of  rare  and  early  publications. 
Copies  of  many  of  the  earliest  books  printed  can  be 
found  in  this  collection;  also  numerous  volumes  writ- 
ten before  the  days  of  printing  in  the  careful  and  elabor- 
ate manner  of  the  early  manuscript  volumes.  Among 
the  rare  books  are  copies  of  the  first  four  editions  of 
Shakespeare,  of  which  it  is  believed  but  one  other 
complete  set  exists  in  the  United  States.  The  collec- 
tion is  especially  rich  in  beautiful  illuminated  manu- 
scripts written  by  the  monks  before  the  days  of  printing. 

The  number  of  visitors  using  the  library  for  the 
year  1900  was  as  follows  :  Men,  51,294;  women,  25,047; 
total,  76,341.  And  the  number  of  volumes  consulted, 
126,612,  indicating  the  great  usefulness  to  students  of 
the  library  in  its  various  departments. 

There  will  utimately  be  three  very  large  libraries 
in  Chicago,  the  Public,  the  Newberry  and  the  John 
Crerar  Libraries.  Before  the  work  of  the  Crerar 
Library  was  commenced  the  trustees  of  the  John 
Crerar  and  Newberry  Libraries  and  the  librarian  and 
officers  of  the  Public  Library  held  meetings  for  the 
purpose  of  avoiding  unnecessary  duplication  of  books 
in  the  various  libraries.  This  was  sought  to  be  accom- 
plished by  giving  to  each  of  the  three  libraries  certain 
specialties,  which  would  not  be,  except  in  a  moderate 
degree,  encroached  upon  by  the  other  libraries.  The 


TJie  Newberry  Library.  577 

Public  Library,  while  embracing,  of  course,  all  the 
standard  works  of  reference,  like  cyclopaedias,  etc., 
and  a  great  collection  of  general  literature,  has  sub- 
stantially the  exclusive  field  of  fiction,  and  is,  of  course, 
much  more  popular  in  its  character  than  the  other 
libraries,  not  only  from  the  fact  of  the  character  of  its 
collection  of  books,  but  from  the  fact  that  it  is  a  circu- 
lating library.  The  John  Crerar  Library  has  taken  for 
its  province  what  is  grouped  under  the  general  name 
of  Science — a  large  and  extremely  useful  and  valuable 
field.  The  Newberry  Library  has  its  special  fields  — 
history,  the  liberal  arts,  philosophy,  music  and  gene- 
alogy. By  thus  subdividing  the  work  the  three  libra- 
ries, so  far  as  the  general  public  are  concerned,  are 
like  one  great  library,  and  a  much  larger  number  of 
books  are  rendered  available  for  the  use  of  students 
than  did  each  library  undertake  to  minister  to  the 
wants  of  all  classes  of  readers. 

One  of  the  interesting  features  of  the  Newberry 
Library  to  visitors  is  a  superb  collection  of  portraits, 
which  was  donated  to  the  library  by  Mr.  G.  P.  A.  Healy, 
one  of  the  most  eminent  of  American  portrait  painters. 
Mr.  Healy  had  spent  a  large  portion  of  his  life  in  Europe, 
and  had  painted  there,  as  well  as  in  America,  a  very 
large  proportion  of  the  notable  people  who  were  living 
during  the  last  half  of  the  nineteenth  century.  He 
had  the  habit,  when  painting  the  portrait  of  an  eminent 
man  or  a  portrait  which  he  considered  especially  suc- 
cessful, of  asking  the  sitter  to  allow  him  to  paint  a 
duplicate  for  his  personal  collection.  Of  this  collection 
of  portraits  Mr.  Healy  presented  some  fifty  to  the 
Xewberry  Library,  which  are  of  great  and  increasing 
value,  and  very  popular  among  the  visitors  to  the 
library. 

FRANKLIN  HEAD. 


(2) 


THE  ILLINOIS  CENTRAL  RAILROAD. 

The  state  of  Illinois  lies  near  the  center  of  the  great 
Mississippi  valley,  and  may  justly  be  called  the  hinge  on 
which  the  financial  interests  of  the  abutting  states  around 
her  turn.  The  citizens  of  this  state  saw  this  advantage 
not  many  years  after  the  state  had  been  admitted  into  the 
Union,  in  1818;  and  as  early  as  1834  took  measures  to 
make  the  most  of  it  by  planning  a  system  of  internal  im- 
provements, consisting  of  waterways  and  railroads,  mostly 
for  the  benefit  of  the  central  and  southern  portions  of  the 
state.  That  these  plans  were  both  extravagant  and  prema- 
ture, the  sequel  has  abundantly  proven.  The  whole  northern 
portion  of  the  state  was  then  unsurveyed  and  unsettled, 
except  some  beginnings  around  Chicago,  Dixon  and  Galena; 
hence  it  was  only  the  cities  in  the  central  and  southern  por- 
tions of  the  state  whose  commercial  interests  were  supposed 
to  be  of  sufficient  importance  to  warrant  the  building  of 
transportation  lines  to  them.  These  lines  were  planned  to 
secure  the  great  trunk  lines  of  travel,  from  east  to  west  and 
from  north  to  south,  through  the  then  moat  populous  por- 
tions of  the  state  of  Illinois,  ignoring  the  cities  along  the 
bwders  of  the  great  chain  of  lakes. 

The  history  of  the  Illinois  Central  railroad  is  so  inter- 
looven  loith  the  modern  history  of  the  state  and  this  road 
has  controlled  the  financial  interest  of  the  state  to  such  an 
extent  that  it  is  a  matter  of  great  importance  that  it  should 
be  written  in  detail  by  some  person  who  is  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted ivith  every  progressive  step  taken  to  build  this 
road  from  start  to  finish.  It  is  fortunate  that  such  a  man 
is  still  living  to  do  this  work  truthfully  and  faithfully. 
Mr.  C.  C.  P.  Holden  is  this  man,  and  to  him  is  this  duty 
assigned.  RUFUS  BLANCIIARD. 

(578) 


The  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  579 

On  February  27,  1837,  the  legislature  authorized 
the  expenditure  of  various  sums  for  the  purposes  and 
objects  stated: 

Improvement  of  Great  Wabash  river $  100,000 

Illinois  river 100,000 

Rock  river 100,000 

Kaskaskia  river 50,000 

Little  Wabash  river 50,000 

Great  Western  mail  route  from  St.  Louis  to  Vincennes 250,000 

Central  railroad,  from  Cairo  to  the  Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal  \ 

Southern  railroad  from  Alton  to  Mt.  Carmel [•  1,600,000 

Railroad  from  Alton  to  Shawneetown ' 

Northern  Cross  railroad,  from  Quincy  to  Indiana  state  line. . .  1,800.000 

Branch  of  Central  Hillsboro  to  Terre  Haute 650,000 

Railroad  from  Peoria  via  Mt.  Carmel  and  Carthage  to  Warsaw    700,000 

Railroad  from  Alton  to  Hillsboro  to  the  Central  railroad 600,000 

Railroad  from  Belleville  via  Lebanon  to  intersect  Southern 

Cross  railroad    150,000 

Railroad  from  Blooming-ton  to  Mackinaw,  in  Tazewell  county, 

thence  to  Pekin 350,000 

So  great  was  the  general  confidence  of  the  Illinois 
legislature,  as  well  as  the  citizens  of  the  state,  that 
they  made  an  appropriation  of  $250,000  to  be  paid  out 
of  the  first  proceeds  of  the  internal  improvement  bonds, 
to  be  distributed  per  capita  of  the  population  of  such 
counties  as  had  no  railroads  and  no  navigable  streams. 
But  these  brilliant  hopes  for  the  future  were  not  to  be 
realized.  None  of  these  improvements  were  ever  fin- 
ished. The  state  was  responsible  for  the  construction 
and  building  of  all  of  them,  and  had  thus  become  so 
deeply  involved  in  public  debt  that  immigration  had 
substantially  ceased,  not  because  Illinois  farming  lands 
were  not  desirable,  but  because  property  in  the  state 
was  liable  to  be  taxed  to  pay  an  overcrowded  debt,  from 
which  no  relief  seemed  at  hand,  and  no  income  seemed 
possible.  In  December,  1842,  the  state  debt  was 
$15,187,348.71,  while  its  population  was  but  487,929. 
The  interest  of  this  immense  sum  could  not  be  paid, 
and  through  this  default  the  collapse  into  which  the 
state  had  fallen  was  now  apparent  to  everybody.  While 
despair  stared  the  legislature  in  the  face,  a  hopeful 


580  The  Illinois  Central  Railroad. 

and  brighter  prospect  came  upon  the  financial  horizon 
of  Illinois,  which  was  destined  to  bring  relief  and  save 
the  state  from  repudiation. 

September  20,  1850,  congress  passed  an  act  grant- 
ing the  right  of  way  and  making  a  grant  of  land  to  the 
states  of  Illinois,  Mississippi  and  Alabama,  in  aid  of  the 
construction  of  a  railroad  from  Chicago  to  Mobile.  The 
act  further  provided  that  the  same  right  is  hereby 
granted  to  the  state  of  Illinois  for  the  construction  of 
a  railroad  from  the  southern  terminus  of  the  Illinois 
and  Michigan  canal  to  a  point  at  or  near  the  junction 
of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers,  with  a  branch  of  the 
same  to  Chicago,  on  Lake  Michigan,  and  another  via 
the  town  of  Galena,  in  said  state,  to  Dubuque,  in  the 
state  of  Iowa.  The  Illinois  legislature  convened  Jan- 
uary 6,  1851.  In  the  message  of  Gov.  August  C. 
French  to  that  body,  he  said  in  regard  to  the  grant  of 
lands  in  aid  of  the  construction  of  a  railroad,  ' '  When 
these  works  shall  be  completed,  extending  as  they  will 
from  the  confluence  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  river 
to  the  terminal  of  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal,  and 
by  lateral  lines  to  Chicago  and  Galena,  it  will  present 
a  magnificent  thoroughfare  along  the  center  of  the 
state  for  almost  its  entire  length.  It  will  become  the 
great  leading  artery  of  the  state  and  more  than  500 
miles  in  length,  along  which  may  pass  to  market  its 
vast  productions;  connecting  the  upper  Mississippi  and 
the  lakes  with  the  lower  Mississippi,  it  will  be  perceived 
how  readily  lateral  lines  may  be  successfully  connected 
with  it,  and,  when  finished,  present  the  most  magnifi- 
cent system  of  state  improvements  on  the  globe." 

Both  houses  took  immediate  action  on  the  subject. 
The  senate  prepared  a  bill,  which  was  passed  by  that 
body  February  6,  1851,  incorporating  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral railroad.  The  following  day  the  house  passed  the 
same  bill,  approved  by  Gov.  French  February  10,  1851. 
And  thus  was  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Co.  incor- 
porated with  the  following  incorporators  and  first  board 


The  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  581 

of  directors,  to  wit :  Robert  Schuyler,  George  Griswold, 
Gouverneur  Morris,  Franklin  Haven,  David  A.  Neal, 
Robert  Rantoul,  Jr. ,  Jonathan  Sturges,  George  W.  Lud- 
low,  John  F.  A.  Sandford,  Henry  Grinnell,  Leroy  Wiley, 
William  H.  Aspinwall,  Joseph  W.  Alsop,  with  Augustus 
C.  French  ex-officio  director.  There  was  a  clause  in  the 
charter  compelling  the  company  to  pay  into  the  state 
treasury  7  per  cent  of  its  gross  earnings.  The  company 
was  practically  to  be  a  state  railroad  corporation,  with 
its  affairs  watched  over  by  the  governor,  who  was  by 
its  charter  an  ex-officio  director.  The  twenty-three 
senators  and  seventy-two  members  of  the  house  who 
voted  for  the  bill,  with  the  governor  who  approved 
their  acts,  earned  the  lasting  gratitude  of  the  people 
of  Illinois.  The  road  has  proved  to  be  a  fitting  mon- 
ument to  their  far-seeing  sagacity  in  our  state's  his- 
tory. 

The  contract  with  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
Co.  called  for  the  building  and  equipment  of  a  first- 
class  railroad  706  miles  in  length,  and  as  a  guarantee 
of  fulfilling  it  this  company  subscribed  for  $1,000,000 
of  the  stock  in  said  company,  and  deposited  with  the 
state  treasurer  of  Illinois  $200,000  in  gold,  to  be  re- 
funded to  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Co.  upon  the 
full  completion  and  operation  of  fifty  miles  of  the  rail- 
road to  be  constructed  by  said  corporation,  according 
to  the  provisions  of  the  charter.  Signed  by  John 
Moore,  treasurer  of  Illinois,  March  24,  1851. 

After  a  general  review  of  the  state's  condition  its 
debt  was  found  to  be  $16,627,509.91;  the  population  of 
the  state  was  851,470.  The  government  had  sold,  up 
to  June  30,  1850,  15,489,066.62  acres,  of  which  amount 
4,529,518.62  acres  were  sold  since  September  30,  1839. 
This  was  the  financial  condition  of  the  state  as  it  was 
found,  including  its  indebtedness,  population  and  re- 
sources, by  the  Illinois  Railroad  Co.  when  it  filed  its 
bond  and  assumed  the  construction  of  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral railroad,  March  24,  1851. 


582  The  Illinois  Central  Railroad. 

On  March  22,  1851,  the  board  of  directors  ap- 
pointed Roswell  B.  Mason,  of  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  engi- 
neer in  chief,  with  jurisdiction  over  the  entire  line. 
In  a  letter  to  the  writer,  dated  October  12, 1883,  Colonel 
Mason  says:  "I  received  my  appointment  as  chief 
engineer  of  the  Illinois  Central  railroad  March  22, 
1851,  and  entered  at  once  upon  the  duty  of  selecting 
my  assistants  and  making  preparations  for  the  journey 
to  what  was  then  considered  the  far  off  western  coun- 
try. Leaving  New  York  May  14,  with  a  party  of  ten 
or  twelve  young  men,  we  traveled  by  steamer  to 
Albany,  by  rail  to  Buffalo,  by  steamer  to  Detroit,  by 
rail  to  New  Buffalo  on  the  east  side  of  Lake  Michigan, 
and  thence  by  steamer  to  Chicago,  arriving  May  19. 
My  assistant  engineers  were  appointed  over  the  work 
as  follows:  N.  B.  Porter,  from  Chicago  to  Rantoul, 
headquarters,  Chicago;  L.  W.  Ashley  from  Rantoul  to 
Mattoon,  headquarters,  Urbana;  C.  Floyd  Jones,  Mat- 
toon  to  main  line  junction  and  main  line  from  Ramsay 
to  Richview,  headquarters,  Vandalia;  Arthur  S.  Orms- 
bey,  Richview  to  Cairo,  headquarters,  Jonesboro;  H.  B. 
Post,  Ramsay  to  Bloomington,  headquarters,  Decatur; 
T.  B.  Blackstone,  Bloomington  to  Eldena,  headquar- 
ters, La  Salle;  R.  B.  Provost,  Eldena  to  Dunleith, 
headquarters,  Freeport.  Henry  Bacon,  after  a  few 
months,  took  the  place  of  N.  B.  Porter,  of  Chicago. 
After  seeing  my  assistants  on  their  way  to  their  several 
locations,  I  went  by  packet  boat  on  the  Illinois  and 
Michigan  canal  from  Chicago  to  La  Salle,  and  then 
took  a  private  conveyance  to  Cairo  and  back  to  Chi- 
cago. We  traveled  very  nearly  on  the  line  of  the  road, 
as  now  located,  south  of  La  Salle  through  Bloomington 
and  Clinton  to  Decatur,  where  I  was  joined  by  W.  H. 
Bissell,  who  went  with  me  to  Cairo  and  part  of  the  way 
back.  South  of  Decatur  we  traveled  substantially  on 
the  present  line  of  the  road,  through  Vandalia  and 
near  Richview  and  Jonesboro;  but,  owing  to  high 
water,  we  could  not  drive  to  Cairo,  and  went  to  Mound 


The  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  583 

City  on  the  Ohio  river,  and  thence  by  steamer  to  Cairo. 
Owing  to  cholera,  which  then  prevailed  there,  and 
what  appeared  to  me  a  very  fair  prospect  of  being- 
drowned,  we  made  a  short  visit,  returning  by  steamer 
to  Mound  City;  then  followed  back  substantially  on  our 
route  near  Decatur;  thence  to  Urbana,  the  expectation 
at  that  time  being  to  have  the  Chicago  branch  leave 
the  main  line  at  some  point  between  Decatur  and  Van- 
dalia.  Going  north  from  Urbana,  we  traveled  over  an 
unbroken  prairie,  almost  .the  entire  distance  to  Chi- 
cago, with  no  settlement  in  view  on  the  whole  128 
miles,  except  at  Spring  Creek  and  Bourbonnais,  until 
we  came  near  Chicago,  where  we  arrived  in  about  one 
month  from  the  time  we  left  there,  traveling  by  private 
conveyance  between  700  and  800  miles.  During  the 
journey  I  met  all  my  assistants  except  R.  V.  Provost, 
and  found  them  well  equipped  and  entering  very 
heartily  into  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  their  work. 
After  spending  a  few  days  at  Chicago,  I  went  again  by 
packet  boat  to  La  Salle,  and  thence  by  private  convey- 
ance to  Dubuque  through  Dixon,  Freeport  and  Galena, 
meeting  Mr.  Provost  at  Freeport,  who  had  his  work 
well  in  hand,  .  .  .  returning  to  Chicago,  where  I 
spent  several  weeks.  But  during  the  summer  and 
fall  I  visited  different  portions  of  the  line  several 
times,  and  was  able  to  complete  the  location  substan- 
tially and  get  my  profiles  and  maps  ready  to  take  with 
me  to  New  York  late  in  the  fall.  On  February  2, 1852, 
I  went  to  Washington  to  deposit  the  map  of  our  loca- 
tion with  the  commissioner  of  the  land  department,  as 
required  by  law,  and  to  get  his  approval  of  the  selection 
and  quantity  of  the  land.  This  was  not  accomplished 
until  March  14.  While  in  Washington  in  the  early 
part  of  March,  I  directed  the  work  to  be  put  under 
contract  from  Chicago  to  Calumet,  in  order  to  enable 
the  Michigan  Central  railroad  to  reach  the  city.  .  .  . 
Every  effort  was  made  to  complete  the  work  from  Chi- 
cago to  Calumet  as  soon  as  possible,  and  May  21,  1852, 


584  The  Illinois  Central  Railroad. 

the  first  passenger  train  from  Detroit  entered  Chicago, 
using  the  Illinois  Central  railroad  track  from  Calumet 
to  about  Twenty-second  street,  and  from  thence  by  a 
temporary  track  over  the  prairie  almost  in  a  direct  line 
to  the  east  side  of  Michigan  avenue,  immediately  south  of 
Thirteenth  street,  where  a  temporary  passenger  depot 
was  provided  and  occupied  more  than  a  year,  until  the 
road  was  completed  to  the  present  depot  at  the  foot  of 
Lake  street.  The  only  towns  of  importance  on  the 
main  line  were  Galena,  Freeport,  Dixon,  La  Salle, 
Bloomington,  Clinton,  Decatur,  Vandalia,  Richview. 
Jonesboro  and  Cairo.  Richview  and  Jonesboro  were 
not  immediately  on  the  line,  but  within  about  one  mile. 
We  did  not  go  through  a  single  settlement  on  the 
branch,  but  passed  near  Urbana  and  Bourbonnais. 
With  the  exception  of  more  or  less  timber  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  of  the  towns  mentioned  above,  we  passed 
over  prairie  from  Galena  to  Big  Muddy-  river  within 
about  sixty  miles  from  Cairo.  This  sixty  miles  was 
quite  heavily  timbered  almost  the  entire  distance.  In 
going  north  on  the  Chicago  branch  from  the  main  line 
we  passed  over  patches  of  timber  and  prairie  to  a  point 
a  little  south  of  Mattoon,  and  from  there  to  Chicago  it 
was  entirely  prairie,  except  for  a  short  distance  at 
Spring  Creek  and  Kankakee.  In  going  south  from  La 
Salle  we  soon  came  on  to  a  prairie  and  traveled  forty 
miles  without  seeing  a  house  of  any  kind,  and  gener- 
ally there  was  scarcely  any  settlement  between  the 
towns  mentioned  above,  which  were  from  twenty-five 
to  fifty  and  sixty  miles  apart.  On  the  branch  I  think 
there  was  no  settlement  immediately  on  the  line  of  the 
road  from  where  it  leaves  the  main  line  until  within 
about  twenty  miles  of  Chicago.  ...  In  June,  1852, 
the  contract  was  let  for  grading  the  road  from  La 
Salle  to  Bloomington  in  the  early  part  of  1853;  and  on 
the  completion  of  the  Rock  Island  road  to  La  Salle  a 
temporary  bridge  was  constructed  over  the  Illinois 
river,  and  a  track  laid  from  the  foot  of  the  plane  to 


The  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  585 

connect  with  the  Rock  Island  railroad,  making-  a  con- 
tinuous railroad  track  from  Chicago  to  Bloomington. 
.  .  .  During  1852  the  entire  line  was  put  under  con- 
tract, and  was  completed  on  September  27,  1856;  but, 
owing  to  the  few  settlements,  it  was  very  difficult  to 
get  men,  teams  and  supplies  for  them.  Agents  were 
sent  to  New  York  and  to  New  Orleans  to  get  men,  and 
in  some  cases  their  fare  was  paid,  with  the  promise  of 
refunding  it  out  of  their  work.  But  these  promises 
were  frequently  entirely  disregarded.  Some  men 
would  >not  even  go  on  to  the  work,  a  few  miles  only 
from  the  steamboat  landing;  others  would  come  on  per- 
haps at  evening  and  get  their  supper,  lodging  and 
breakfast,  and  start  off  next  morning  for  other  quar- 
ters; but,  notwithstanding  these  drawbacks,  many  men 
were  procured  in  this  way.  In  the  early  construction 
of  the  road  large  supplies  for  men  and  teams  came 
from  St.  Louis  for  the  main  line  south  of  Decatur,  and 
from  Indiana  for  the  Chicago  branch.  In  many  cases 
flour  and  other  supplies  were  hauled  nearly  or  quite 
100  miles.  .  .  .  To  give  you  some  idea  of  the 
pleasure  of  traveling  in  Illinois  at  that  early  day,  I 
will  describe  a  trip  made  with  David  A.  Neal,  vice- 
president  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Co.,  in  the 
fall  of  1852.  We  went  by  packet  boat  on  the  Illinois 
and  Michigan  canal  to  La  Salle;  thence  by  steamer  on 
the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  rivers  to  Cairo,  arriving 
at  St.  Louis  on  the  14th,  and  Cairo  on  the  17th  of 
November — a  very  comfortable  journey.  But  our  plan 
was  to  return  by  private  conveyance  near  the  line  of 
the  railroad  to  Chicago.  Leaving  Cairo  on  the  18th, 
we  reached  Vandalia  on  the  23d,  and  Decatur  on  the 
25th,  with  our  team  nearly  exhausted,  and  unable  to  go 
any  further.  The  roads  were  so  bad  it  was  thought 
nearly  impossible  to  get  through;  and  it  was  deter- 
mined to  go  to  Springfield,  and  then  by  railroad,  which 
had  just  been  completed  to  Alton,  and  then  by  the 
Illinois  river  and  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal  to  Chicago. 


586  The  Illinois  Central  Railroad. 

We  found  it  difficult  to  get  a  team  to  take  us  to 
Springfield;  but  an  offer  of  $15  induced  a  liveryman  to 
agree  to  take  us  through  (about  forty  miles  a  day). 
Leaving  Decatur  Friday  morning,  November  26,  we 
toiled  through  the  mud,  water  and  ice  to  a  small  town 
within  twelve  miles  of  Springfield,  arriving  there 
about  dark,  with  our  team  tired  out  and  entirely  unable 
to  go  any  farther.  The  train  left  Springfield  Saturday 
morning  at  8  o'clock,  and  an  offer  of  $15  more  induced 
a  man,  who  had  a  good  team,  to  agree  to  take  us  there 
in  time  for  the  train,  or  forfeit  the  $15,  we  agreeing  to 
go  at  once,  or  let  him  fix  the  time  of  starting;  he 
named  2  o'clock  in  the  morning.  So,  getting  a  little 
rest,  we  were  under  way  at  2  o'clock.  It  was  then 
very  cold,  and  ice  of  considerable  thickness  had  formed 
on  the  water,  cutting  the  horses'  legs  very  badly  to  go 
through  it,  and  in  some  cases  the  driver  would  go 
through  on  foot  and  break  the  ice  before  driving 
through  it.  We  arrived  at  Springfield  about  twenty 
mintes  before  the  train  left.  He  earned  his  $15.  We 
had  a  comfortable  journey  from  there  to  St.  Louis, 
where  we  stayed  over  Sunday,  and  took  a  steamer  Mon- 
day morning  for  La  Salle;  thence  by  packet  boat  to 
Chicago,  arriving  there  December  4,  1852. 

"  It  was  considerable  time  after  the  work  was  com- 
menced before  a  local  treasurer  was  appointed  to  be 
stationed  at  Chicago,  and  in  the  meantime  all  the  funds 
for  the  payment  of  the  engineers  and  contractors 
passed  through  my  hands,  so  that  I  carried  large 
amounts  of  money  to  all  parts  of  the  road  in  my  carpet 
bag.  In  going  into  the  extreme  southern  part  of  the 
state,  I  went  to  St.  Louis  with  my  funds,  or  sometimes 
procured  them  by  drafts  on  New  York,  and  then  secured 
a  reliable  police  officer  to  go  with  me  until  I  had  dis- 
bursed them.  But  after  a  time  I  was  relieved  by  hav- 
ing John  B.  Calhoun  sent  out  to  Chicago  as  local  treas- 
urer. He  was  a  competent,  faithful,  reliable  man,  and 
I  am  not  aware  that  one  dollar  was  ever  lost  or 


The  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  587 

misappropriated  during  the  construction  of  the  road. 
There  was  an  important  reason  for  completing  the  main 
line  of  the  road  by  January  1,  1856,  and  some  months 
previous  to  that  I  was  authorized  to  use  every  possible 
effort  to  complete  it  by  that  time,  regardless  of  ex- 
pense. .  .  ..  The  work  was  finished  within  the  time; 
but  the  contractors  did  not  secure  a  very  large  bonus. 
Extra  track  layers  were  engaged  and  teams  employed 
to  cart  iron  a  few  miles  in  advance  of  the  regular 
party,  when  the  extra  party  would  commence,  and 
when  the  regular  party  reached  that  point,  they  would 
go  on  a  few  miles  in  advance  of  the  extra  party  and 
commence  again.  So  by  this  and  various  other  methods 
the  track  was  completed  December  28,  1855,  and  a  tele- 
gram was  sent  to  New  York  announcing  the  completion 
of  the  main  line  of  the  Illinois  Central  railroad  on  that 
day. 

"Engine  No.  42,  with  four  cars,  was  the  first  train 
to  run  over  the  high  bridge  at  La  Salle  (August  21, 
1854,  at  5:30  p.  M.). 

"Engine  No.  5  pulled  the  first  train  into  Cairo  (Au- 
gust 26,  1854).  (Signed)  ROSWELL  B.  MASON.'' 

.The  writer  has  tried  to  show  the  financial  and 
physical  condition  of  Illinois  at  the  time  of  the  grant 
of  lands  by  congress  to  the  state,  and  a  few  years  prior 
thereto.  In  1850  the  government  was  possessed  of  19,- 
989,025  acres,  ceded  to  the  state  under  the  act  of  con- 
gress of  September  20,  1850,  leaving  the  actual  number 
of  acres  still  held  by  the  government  in  the  state  17,- 
394,025.  This  was  the  time  the  Illinois  Central  rail- 
road began  what,  with  no  impropriety,  may  be  called  its 
relief  work. 

The  school  lands,  which  had  been  set  apart  for 
educational  purposes  by  the  government  (being  the  six- 
teenth section  in  every  township),  amounted  to  about 
984,977  acres,  which,  deducted  from  the  17,394,025  acres, 
would  leave  16,409,048  acres  held  by  the  United  States 


588  The  Illinois  Central  Railroad. 

in  Illinois.  By  reference  to  the  map  it  will  be  seen 
where  the  bulk  of  these  lands  ceded  to  the  Central  rail- 
road lay.  They  were  largely  located  in  unsettled  dis- 
tricts, along  stretches  of  prairie  wilds,  from  fifty  to  100 
miles  sometimes  intervening  without  a  habitation. 
This  cession  comprised  the  alternate  sections  along  the 
whole  length  of  the  line.  Col.  Mason,  in  locating  the 
line,  had  sought  the  great  open  country,  so  far  as  prac- 
ticable, for  a  double  purpose,  namely,  for  the  cheap  con- 
struction of  the  road  and  to  obtain  the  largest  amount 
of  lands  in  a  compact  body,  keeping  steadily  in  view 
the  directness  of  the  road  between  the  objective  points; 
starting  in  at  the  northwest  corner  of  the  state,  at 
Dunleith. 

It  was  late  in  the  spring  of  1852  that  the  company 
found  itself  ready  to  begin  collecting  and  putting  their 
lands  in  shape  preparatory  to  founding  and  organizing 
a  land  department  which  would  have  the  entire  control 
and  management  of  the  landed  interest  of  the  company 
in  their  behalf.  It  was  found  to  be  an  immense  under- 
taking, second  only  to  that  which  was  to  follow  in  the 
final  disposition  of  the  lands  embraced  in  the  grant. 
In  looking  over  the  situation  they  found  that  the  state 
originally  embraced  within  its  limits  35,455,469  acres  of 
government  land,  with  less  than  one-half  sold  up  to 
June  30,  1850,  or  15,466,444  acres  then  disposed  of.  It 
found  a  state  with  55,405  square  miles  of  territory,  with 
a  population  of  851,471,  with  its  chief  city,  Chicago, 
bragging  of  a  population  of  29,963;  and  worse  than  all 
else,  it  found  a  state  embarrassed  with  a  debt  (as  al- 
ready told)  of  $16,724,171.41.  In  that  early  day  not  a 
railroad  was  crossed  from  Dunleith  to  Cairo,  nor  from 
Cairo  to  Chicago.  Seven  hundred  and  five  and  one- 
half  miles  was  the  length  of  the  road  without  an  inter- 
secting railroad. 

The  company,  in  erecting  its  stations,  made  them 
sufficiently  large  for  the  accommodation  of  a  family, 
most  of  them  with  necessary  facilities  for  housekeeping. 


The  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  589 

They  were  thus  built  for  the  use  of  the  station 
agents  in  particular.  There  was  also  built  at  each 
station  a  first-class  (for  that  time)  freight  house,  nearly 
opposite  the  station,  on  a  side  track.  These  stations 
were  generally  put  in  at  an  average  of  eleven  miles 
apart  on  the  main  line,  while  on  the  branch  the  average 
was  thirteen  miles.  There  were  nineteen  of  these  be- 
tween Chicago  and  Centralia,  and  seventeen  between 
Centralia  and  La  Salle.  The  same  ratio  would  hold 
good  over  other  parts  of  the  road,  where  the  country 
was  unsettled.  Half  of  these  stations  were  out  of  sight 
of  any  other  improvement  than  the  railroad  and  the 
appurtenances  thereto,  including  the  section  houses 
for  the  men.  By  one  unacquainted  with  the  country 
at  that  time  the  foregoing  improvements  would  have 
been  looked  upon  as  an  extravagrant  and  unjustifiable 
outlay  of  the  company's  money — a  useless  expenditure 
in  the  wilderness.  But  those  at  the  helm  knew  whereof 
they  were  hewing.  There  was  a  double  purpose  in  view : 
The  station  agents  must  have  a  place  in  which  to  live; 
and  other  employes  of  the  company  must  have  an  abid- 
ing place  when  caught  out  in  these  unsettled  and  wild 
regions.  But  another  and  all-important  object  was  to 
have  some  attractions  for  the  new  comers,  the  emi- 
grants. The  great  prairies  surrounding  these  stations 
had  to  be  settled,  and  it  was  well  that  the  company  had 
the  forethought  to  do  everything  on  the  broad  gauge 
plan.  Time  has  verified  the  wisdom  of  this  measure. 
Besides  all  this  the  company  provided  for  the  spiritual 
wants  of  the  settlers  along  the  line,  by  employing  a 
minister  of  the  Gospel  to  go  from  town  to  town  and 
preach  to  the  new  settlers  at  stated  periods,  thus  form- 
ing a  nucleus  for  churches. 

In  January,  1853,  the  railroad  was  completed  from 
La  Salle  to  Bloomington.  The  fourteen  miles  between 
Chicago  and  Calumet  was  also  built,  the  Michigan 
Central  train  running  into  the  city  over  it.  Robert 
Schuyler  was  the  president  of  the  road,  though 


590  The  Illinois  Central  Railroad. 

David  A.  Neal,  vice-president,  attended  to  matters  at  the 
Illinois  end  of  the  line.  As  many  of  the  approved  plats 
of  the  lands  had  been  received  from  Washington,  Mr. 
Neal  made  immediate  arrangements  for  getting  the 
lands  in  shape,  and  thus  have  them  ready  for  market. 
With  this  end  in  view  he  appointed  John  C.  Dodge,  of 
Chicago,  land  agent  for  the  company.  Mr.  Dodge's  past 
experience  in  the  real  estate  business  probably  led  to 
his  appointment  as  the  first  land  agent  of  the  company. 
He  appointed  agencies,  with  the  concurrence  of  Mr. 
Neal,  at  Freeport,  Dixon,  La  Salle,  Bloomington,  Clin- 
ton, Richview,  Jonesboro,  Urbana  and  Kankakee,  with 
agents  to  manage  them. 

All  settlers  living  upon  the  lands  that  fell  to  the 
company  under  the  grant  of  September  20,  1850,  and 
prior  thereto,  had  the  right  to  prove  up  their  claims, 
pay  $2.50  per  acre  and  take  deed  for  their  lands. 
The  government  price  of  these  lands  had  been,  up  to 
the  time  they  were  withdrawn  from  the  market  by  the 
act  of  congress  September  20,  1850,  $1.25  per  acre. 

July  28,  1853,  William  P.  Burrall  was  elected 
president  of  the  company.  The  vice-president,  how- 
ever, continued  to  have  charge  of  all  matters  pertain- 
ing to  the  lands  of  the  company.  The  platting  and 
listing  of  the  lands  had  proceeded  far  enough  to  allow 
pre-emptors  of  its  lands  to  prove  up  their  claims  at 
the  various  agencies,  so  as  to  entitle  them  to  recogni- 
tion as  soon  as  the  land  department  was  opened  for 
business.  The  sales  by  pre-emption  quickly  followed. 

With  the  close  of  1854  there  had  been  sold  of  mort- 
gage lands  47,280.39  acres  for  the  sum  of  $481,006.82, 
while  under  the  pre-emption  act  102,577  acres,  at  $2.50 
per  acre,  were  sold  for  the  sum  of  $255,693.70. 

June  25,  1855,  the  trustees  made  a  report  to  the 
state  auditor,  touching  the  pre-emption  sales.  The 
lands  thus  pre-empted  were  in  forty-one  counties.  The 
following  is  their  report : 


The  Illinois  Central  Railroad.    .  591 

"CHICAGO,  June  25,  1855. 

"To  THE  AUDITOR  OF  PUBLIC  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  STATE 
OF  ILLINOIS: 

"Sir. — Herewith  you  will  receive  a  copy  of  the 
record  of  each  tract  of  land  heretofore  sold  to  pre- 
emptioners  under  the  25th  section  of  the  act  entitled 
'An  act  to  incorporate  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
Co.,  passed  February  10,  1851.' 

"These  returns  are  made  to  your  office  in  compli- 
ance with  section  16  of  said  act.  Respectfully  yours, 

JOHN  MOORE, 
SAMUEL  D.  LOCKWOOD, 

Trustees. ' ' 

This  was  the  first  report  made  by  the  trustees  to 
the  state  authorities  in  regard  to  the  great  trusts 
placed  in  their  hands. 

May  11,  1855,  Hon.  Stephen  A.  Douglass  pur- 
chased from  the  company  4,622  acres,  in  the  Calumet 
region,  at  an  average  rate  of  $10  per  acre  on  the  usual 
terms. 

All  the  special  land  agents  appointed  under  the 
administration  of  John  C.  Dodge,  both  on  the  main  line 
and  Chicago  branch,  did  a  large  business  in  the  latter 
part  of  1854,  and  fairly  well  through  the  year  1855. 

The  sales  of  all  lands  by  the  company  up  to  Decem- 
ber 31,  1855,  were  528,863.11  acres.    Total  cash  received 
for  lands  up  to  December  31,  1855,  $591,386.89. 
(Signed)        GEORGE  M.  REED,  Cashier. 
JOHN  WILSON,  Commissioner. 

Acres. 

Lands  sold  up  to  December  31,  1855 528,863.11 

Lands  on  hand 2,066,136.89 

Total 2,595,000.00 

The  general  government  had  sold  inside  the  fifteen- 
mile  limit  since  the  grant  to  the  state,  up  to  December 
31,  1855,  3,000,000  acres.  The  census  return  for  1855 
shows  an  increase  in  population  in  the  counties  adjacent 


592  The  Illinois  Central  Railroad. 

to  the  Illinois  Central  railroad  since  1850,  of  250,000, 
and  in  the  state  since  that  date,  of  500,000.  The  amounts 
of  these  sales  illustrate  and  show  the  value  of  govern- 
ment lands  along  this  line  under  the  control  of  the 
Illinois  Central  railroad,  and  the  effect  of  this  control 
upon  the  finances  of  the  state.  The  alternate  sections 
still  belonging  to  the  government  had  equally  increas- 
ing sales. 

The  years  1856  and  1857  were  years  of  great  specu- 
lation in  Illinois  Central  lands.  Those  who  knew  the 
value  of  timbered  lands,  and  of  prairie  lands  according 
to  their  proximity  to  timber,  bought  intelligently.  They 
bought  for  cash  or  on  short  time. 

At  the  close  of  1856  it  was  found  that  the  company 
had  sold : 

Acres.  Price. 

For  the  year  ending-  December  31,  1856 336,347.90  $  4,585,686.97 

Total  sales  up  to  December  31,  1856 865,211.01  10,713,228.41 

Lands  on  hand  December  31, 1856 1,729,788.99 

Total 2,931,347.90 

Town  lot  sales  for  1856 $39,159.31 

With  the  close  of  1857  there  had  been  sold  up  to 
December  31,  1857,  335,722.77  acres,  for  $4,546,664.73. 
The  sales  were  distributed  among  3,440  purchasers, 
with  an  average  of  97.56  acres  each. 

The  sales  of  1858,  up  to  December  31,  were  52,- 
387.62  acres,  for  $610,969.67.  The  average  per  acre  for 
this  year's  sales  were  $11.66.  Almost  a  total  failure  of 
crops  throughout  the  state  had  much  to  do  with  this 
depreciation.  The  year  1859,  another  poor  year;  heavy 
frosts  in  June  and  September.  The  sales  for  the  year 
ending  December  31,  1859,  were  21,718.14  acres. 

The  next  year,  1860,  the  sales  of  lands  were  71,- 
287.22  acres,  to  1,050  purchasers,  with  an  average  num- 
ber of  acres  to  each  purchaser  of  67.89  acres — a  great 
improvement.  The  year  1861  was  the  year  of  the  war. 
In  April  of  that  year  Brig. -Gen.  R.  K.  Swift,  with  his 
battery  of  artillery,  was  ordered  to  report  at  Cairo. 
The  Illinois  Central  was  called  upon  for  the  transpor- 


The  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  593 

tation  thence,  which  was  promptly  furnished.  From 
that  time  until  the  close  of  the  war  the  Illinois  Central 
railroad  was  virtually  in  the  hands  of  the  government. 
Its  entire  outfit  was  at  the  service  of  the  government, 
and  the  government  used  it.  Seemingly,  it  was  a  con- 
fiscation of  the  transportation  facilities  of  the  road 
until  the  close  of  the  war — all  other  shippers  over  the 
line  had  to  give  way  in  the  interest  of  the  general  gov- 
ernment. Even  the  growers  of  corn  on  the  Illinois 
prairies  had  to  bide  their  time  in  order  to  get  this 
cereal  to  market.  The  land  department  had  very  large 
amounts  due  it  from  farmers  on  the  lands  upon  which 
they  had  built  their  homes.  These  farmers  had  arranged 
with  the  company  to  deliver  ear  corn  at  any  station  on 
the  line  of  the  road,  at  an  agreed  price  per  bushel,  the 
company  to  furnish  the  cars  to  receive  the  corn;  and 
here  was  where  the  shoe  pinched.  The  corn  came  to 
the  stations  for  delivery,  even  at  the  low  rate  fixed, 
when  it  was  found  cars  could  not  be  had.  Uncle  Samuel 
had  them  all  in  use.  However,  1,860,000  bushels  were 
received  between  August  1,  1861,  and  January  1,  1862; 
and  3,000,000  bushels  were  received  and  put  in  the  bins 
built  for  the  purpose  at  Burnside  station.  The  com- 
pany had  made  every  preparation  for  housing  several 
million  bushels;  it  bought  the  lumber  and  built  the 
cribs.  Many  of  the  farmers'  bins  were  filled  to  over- 
flowing with  the  product,  but,  for  lack  of  cars  at  the 
principal  shipping  points,  only  a  small  portion  of  what 
the  company  expected  to  handle  could  be  received. 
The  farmers  stood  ready  to  deliver  the  corn,  but  the 
general  government  was  monopolizing  the  entire  traffic 
of  the  road  in  forwarding  army  supplies,  munitions  of 
war,  together  with  great  bodies  of  soldiers  from  the 
northwest  and  western  states  going  to  the  front. 
Nevertheless,  the  3,000,000  bushels  mentioned  above 
were  credited  to  the  farmers  along  the  line  of  the  Illi- 
nois Central  road.  It  was  patriotic  in  the  railroad 
company  and  the  farmers  as  well,  that  they  cheerfully 

(3) 


594  The  Illinois  Central  Railroad. 

submitted  to  this  pecuniary  inconvenience.  The  sales 
of  lands,  ending-  December  31,  1861,  were  102,109.22 
acres,  divided  among"  1,402  purchasers,  being  an  aver- 
age of  72.83  acres  to  each  purchaser. 

The  sales  for  the  year  ending  December  31,  1862, 
were  87,599.35  acres,  for  $972,664.76. 

The  sales  ending  December  31, 1863,  were  221,518.05 
acres,  for  $2,382,283.50. 

The  sales  ending  December  31, 1864,  were  264,432.05 
acres,  for  $2,898,980.01,  to  3,501  purchasers.  Collected 
during  the  year,  $2,575,928.40;  average,  $10.96  per  acre. 

The  sales  ending  December  31,  1865,  were  155,056.82 
acres,  for  $1,872,309.52  —  $12.07  per  acre.  There  were 
remaining  unsold  December  31,  1865,  998,069.36  acres. 

The  sales  ending  December  31, 1866,  were  158,015.19 
acres,  for  $1,683, 994. 16,  divided  among  2, 218  purchasers, 
average  per  acre,  $10.65.  The  collections  for  the  year 
were  $2,056,205.80.  The  expenses  for  the  department 
for  the  year  were  $106,616.90.  John  B.  Calhoun  was 
commissioner  in  1866. 

The  sales  for  year  ending  December  31,  1867,  were 
203,532  acres,  for  $2,080,154.72.  Collections  during 
the  same  period,  $3,166,264.37.  Lands  remaining  unsold 
January  1,  1868,  710,453.28  acres. 

The  sales  ending  December  31,  1868,  for  the  year 
were  207,008.37  acres,  for  $2,228,325.90.  These  pur- 
chases were  made  by  2,776  purchasers.  Average  price 
per  acre  was  $10.76.  Collections  for  year  were  $3,200,- 
289.21.  The  total  number  of  deeds  issued  up  to  close 
of  year  covered  1,124, 446. 86  acres  of  the  original  grant. 

The  sales  for  the  year  ending  December  31,  1869, 
were  85,860  acres  for  $899,348.71,  divided  among  1,521 
purchasers.  Average  per  acre,  $10.48.  Collections  for 
the  year,  $2,551,717.70. 

The  sales  for  the  year  ending  December  31,  1870, 
were  60,858.23  acres  for  $625,991.90.  Average  per 
acre,  $10.28.  Deeds  issued  during  year  covered  264,- 
872.93  acres.  Total  number  of  acres  sold  up  to  Decem- 


The  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  595 

berSl,  1870,  2,179,390,  of  which  1,621,703.44  had  been 
deeded.     There  were  415,610  acres  remaining  unsold. 

The  sales  for  the  year  ending  December  31,  1871 , 
were  48,927.31  acres.  This  was  the  year  of  the  great 
fire  in  Chicago.  The  land  office  of  the  company,  which 
was  located  at  48  Michigan  avenue,  had  been  built 
especially  for  its  occupancy.  In  its  construction  great 
care  was  taken  to  make  it  as  near  fireproof  as  possible. 
It  was  a  three-story  stone,  iron,  brick  and  cement 
structure.  Nothing  had  been  left  undone  to  make  it  in 
every  respect  a  safe  building  for  the  valuable  records 
which  were  to  be  inside  its  walls.  But  the  fire  of 
October  9,  1871,  included  everything  in  its  path.  Henry 
C.  Freer,  Street  Bradley,  Thomas  Meagher,  all  three 
of  the  land  department,  early  that  morning,  as  by  an 
impulse,  hurried  from  their  homes  to  the  office  of  the 
land  department,  where  they  found  John  Moe,  the 
night  watchman,  ready  for  active  work.  Freer  and 
Meagher  flew  across  the  way  to  the  general  office. 
President  John  Newell  and  General  Manager  Joseph 
F.  Tucker  were  already  on  the  spot.  The  Freer  party 
quickly  told  their  errand.  Their  instructions  were  to 
save  what  they  could  by  packing  it  into  an  empty  car, 
fortunately  standing  on  the  track.  To  these  four  men 
the  company  were  indebted  for  the  safe  removal  of  the 
following  books  of  record  to  a  car,  which  was  at  once 
hauled  down  to  Sixteenth  street  and  side  tracked  out  of 
the  fire's  reach.  John  Moe  had  formerly  bought  land 
for  a  farm  at  Neoga  station,  and  at  this  time  was  an 
employe  of  the  land  department.  He  was  father  of  the 
late  Bernt  Moe,  assistant  land  commissioner.  Henry 
C.  Freer  and  Thos.  Meagher  were  both  employes  of  the 
department.  Street  Bradley  was  book  and  paper  sta- 
tioner of  the  company.  They  saved  several  cords  of 
land  department  plat  and  record  books.  Among  them 
were  the  official  government  record  of  all  lands  granted 
to  the  company,  with  field  notes  of  each  and  every 
tract ;  the  sales  books,  in  which  had  been  copied  every 


596  The  Illinois  Central  Railroad. 

tract  of  land  received  from  the  government,  showing 
in  the  same  every  sale  that  had  been  made  by  the  de- 
partment up  to  that  date;  the  town  lot  plats,  with  the 
record  of  every  lot  sold  entered  therein;  the  volumes 
of  bound  books  showing  in  detail  the  sales  to  each  and 
every  purchaser,  from  the  first  sale  made  to  date ;  the 
books  of  the  cashier's  department,  from  its  inception 
to  date.  Then  there  were  great  numbers  of  volumes 
of  duplicate  contracts  showing  condition  of  each  tract 
of  land  sold  on  time,  and  indeed  every  book  of  record 
obtainable  inside  the  office  of  that  department,  except 
some  of  the  trustees'  papers,  which  were  in  charge  of 
Peter  Dazzy,  trustees'  clerk,  and  in  his  safe  for  special 
safe  keeping.  They  were  all  burned,  while  the  safe, 
with  a  lot  of  silver  plate  stored  in  it,  was  melted. 

The  land  department  occupied  their  car  at  Sixteenth 
street  until  late  in  November,  when  it  moved  to  Cen- 
tralia,  where  it  transacted  its  business  for  nearly  a 
year,  returning  to  Chicago  in  1872  and  occupying  the 
building  which  had  been  erected,  partly  for  its  use,  at 
the  old  number,  48  Michigan  avenue.  Peter  Daggy 
was  then  commissioner.  The  department  had  sold  up 
to  December  31, 1871,  2,228,317.31  acres,  leaving  unsold 
366,682.69  acres,  all  of  which  has  since  been  sold. 

Charles  M.  Dupuy,  John  Wilson,  A.  E.  Burnside, 
J.  W.  Foster,  W.  M.  Phillips,  J.  M.  Redmond,  John  B. 
Calhoun,  P.  Daggy,  L.  P.  Morehouse,  Ben  Moe  and  E.  P. 
Skene  were  the  land  commissioners  from  January  1,1855. 

Col.  Roswell  B.  Mason,  chief  engineer  and  builder 
of  the  road,  appointed  March,  1851,  turned  over  to  the 
company  a  completed  railroad  706  miles  in  length,  in 
1856.  The  work  where  he  left  off  was  taken  up  by 
careful  and  skilled  men.  David  A.  Neal,  in  Colonel 
Mason's  time,  performed  his  part  in  the  Herculean  task 
with  skill  and  fidelity.  George  Watson,  John  H.  Done, 
James  C.  Clarke,  S.  J.  Hayes,  John  C.  Jacobs,  L.  H. 
Clark,  John  Newell,  William  Harper,  C.  A.  Beck, 
Charles  H.  Comstock,  and  many  others,  under  such 


The  Illinois  Central  Railroad.     .  597 

leaders  as  J.  N.  A.  Griswold,  Wm.  H.  Osborn,  John  M. 
Douglas,  James  C.  Clarke  and  Stuyvesant  Fish.  Mr. 
Fish  was  elected  president  May  18, 1887,  and  still  holds 
that  office.  Back  in  the  '60's  it  was  found  that  in  order  to 
make  the  road  paying  property  for  its  stockholders,  addi- 
tional feeders  must  be  had  for  the  main  line,  which  was 
capable  of  handling  much  more  business  than  naturally 
came  to  it  from  its  own  territory.  With  this  end  in 
view,  the  directory  began  looking  around  for  tributary 
and  other  feeders  with  the  following  results:  In  Illi- 
nois, 1,276.47  miles;  South  Dakota,  14.95;  Minnesota, 
29.99;  Iowa,  712.58;  Wisconsin,  91.31;  Indiana,  82.83; 
Kentucky,  506. 28;  Tennessee,  252.38;  Mississippi,  497. 13; 
Louisiana,  87.74;  Alabama,  7.84;  being  a  total  mileage 
owned  and  controlled  by  it,  outside  its  main  line,  of 
3,559.50  miles,  or  a  total  mileage  of  both,  of  4,265.50 
miles.  These  roads  are  located  in  eleven  states.  To 
operate  this  great  system  requires  27,189  employes, 
which  is  the  number  now  employed  in  the  service  of 
the  company.  Number  of  passenger  cars  now  in  use, 
725;  freight  cars,  38,498;  work  cars,  462.  Number  of 
engines  for  all  work,  891. 

The  charter  of  the  company  reserved  to  the  state 
of  Illinois,  in  lieu  of  taxes,  7  per  cent  of  the  gross 
receipts  of  the  706  miles  of  railroad  originally  built 
thereunder.  The  sum  so  paid  has  been  this  year  (1901) 
$815,093,  which,  if  capitalized  at  3£  per  cent,  would 
give  $23,288,371,  as  representing  the  proprietary  inter- 
est of  the  state  of  Illinois  in  the  Illinois  Central  rail- 
road. The  total  charter  tax  paid  into  the  state  treasury 
of  Illinois,  up  to  April  30,  1901,  has  been  $19,209,320.79. 

When  this  corporation  came  into  existence,  April 
10,  1851,  it  found  an  impoverished  state,  with  a  state 
debt  of  more  than  $16,000,000.  This  debt  has  long  since 
been  paid,  through  this  and  other  corporations,  and 
to-day  it  is  among  the  foremost  states  of  the  Union  in 
wealth  and  population.  The  Illinois  Central  railroad 
has  been  the  chief  factor  in  bringing  about  this  result. 


POTTER  PALMER. 

Potter  Palmer,  the  descendant  of  two  old  and  dis- 
tinguished New  England  families,  whose  combined 
names  he  bore,  was  born  in  1826,  in  Albany  county, 
New  York.  His  father  was  a  prosperous  farmer  of 
standing  and  influence  in  the  community,  and  he  was 
the  fourth  of  seven  children.  At  the  age  of  eighteen, 
having  acquired  a  good  English  education,  he  left  home 
and  took  a  minor  position  in  the  combined  store  and 
bank  of  Durham,  Greene  county,  New  York.  Meeting 
with  encouraging  success  here,  he  moved,  first  to 
Oneida  county,  thence  to  Lockport,  Niagara  and  finally 
to  Chicago,  where  he  arrived  in  1862. 

Having  by  this  time  saved  up  quite  a  little  capital, 
he  invested  it  in  a  dry  goods  house  on  Lake  street, 
which,  in  an  incredibly  short  time,  he  developed  into 
the  largest  business  of  the  kind  west  of  the  Alleghenies, 
having  added  to  it  a  wholesale  department. 

While  still  a  young  man,  having  made  a  fortune 
and  acquired  a  fine  place  in  the  business  world,  with 
the  prestige  of  a  successful  career,  he  was  obliged,  by 
the  advice  of  his  physicians,  to  give  it  all  up,  and  go  to 
Europe  for  a  needed  change.  This  was  a  serious  blow 
to  a  man  of  his  energy  and  ambition,  but  he  accepted 
it  with  courage  and  sold  out  his  splendid  business  to 
two  young  merchants,  Messrs.  Field  &  Leiter. 

Returning  refreshed  and  reinvigorated,  he  did  not 
go  back  into  mercantile  life,  but  began  his  career  as  an 
investor  in  Chicago  real  estate,  and  builder-up  of  the 
city  of  his  adoption. 

(598) 


Potter  Palmer.  599 

His  first  investment  was  in  nearly  a  mile  of  front- 
age on  State  street,  then  a  narrow,  crooked]  way,  with 
shabby  frame  structures  devoted  to  small  and  ignoble 
uses.  After  studying  the  situation,  Mr.  Palmer  decided 
that  the  main  trend  of  business  would  be  north  and 
south,  rather  than  east  and  west,  as  it  then  was  on 
Lake  street,  the  main  retail  center.  State  street 
seemed  the  most  central  and  natural  channel  for  a 
future  thoroughfare,  and  had  already  some  lines  of 
street  cars.  Seeing  that  it  was  capable  of  a  grand  des- 
tiny, he  bought  up  all  the  property  for  sale  as  far  as 
Twenty-second  street,  nearly  a  mile  of  frontage.  The 
story  of  the  years  of  persistent  effort  to  increase  the 
width  of  the  street  has  been  forgotten.  It  meant  labor- 
ing with  the  city  council  to  secure  ordinances  for  the 
widening  of  the  street  in  the  face  of  opposition  from 
other  owners,  many  of  whom  were  men  of  wealth  and 
position,  but  who  did  not  sympathize  with  the  grand 
end  aimed  at,  or  who  were  not  generous  enough  to  give 
the  few  feet  necessary  from  their  lots  to  make  the  new 
and  splendid  thoroughfare,  now  such  an  inestimable 
boon  in  the  congested  heart  of  the  city.  After  the 
ordinances  were  passed — for  many  were  necessary,  as 
only  a  few  blocks  could  be  acted  on  at  a  time,  so  fierce 
was  the  opposition,  many  owners  refusing  to  follow  the 
generous  example  of  Mr.  Palmer — he  immediately 
moved  back  his  buildings,  gave  from  his  long  frontage 
the  twenty  feet  required  for  the  widening  of  the  street 
and  had  it  graded  and  paved  ready  for  use. 

It  was  only  when  the  great  fire  swept  away  its 
buildings  that  many  of  the  jogs  and  irregularities  were 
removed  which  still  defaced  and  clogged  this  artery  of 
business.  Mr.  Palmer  not  only  worked  indefatigably 
for  this  wide  and  handsome  street  for  the  retail  busi- 
ness of  the  Chicago  of  the  future,  but  he  opened  the 
way  to  immediate  realization  by  forcing  the  situation 
and  building  a  succession  of  fine  business  houses  (far 
surpassing  any  then  existing  in  the  city)  on  the  new 


600  Potter  Palmer. 

thoroughfare,  and  these  the  principal  merchants  were 
obliged  to  occupy  because  they  could  not  afford  to 
allow  rivals  to  take  possession  of  such  splendid  and 
better  located  quarters  with  superior  facilities  for  busi- 
ness. As  soon  as  his  first  building  was  completed, 
which  was  on  the  corner  of  State  and  Washington,  it 
was  at  once  leased  by  Field  &  Leiter  at  $50,000  a  year, 
which  was  then  much  the  highest  rent  paid  in  the  city, 
and  this  corner  has  since  become  inseparably  connected 
with  this  firm  (later  changed  to  Marshall  Field  &  Co.). 
Ross  &  Gossage,  the  next  largest  dry  goods  merchants, 
occupied  a  store  in  the  next  block,  and  the  other  mer- 
chants quickly  followed,  without  hesitation ,  as  soon  as 
buildings  were  ready  for  them.  The  evolution  of  the 
business  center  was  immediately  an  accomplished  fact. 
Chicago  thus  owes  its  largest  business  artery  to  the 
foresight  of  Potter  Palmer,  who  had  the  courage  and 
indomitable  perseverance  to  undertake,  entirely  alone 
and  unaided,  this  gigantic  enterprise.  In  all  his  deal- 
ings with  the  city  council,  and  with  recalcitrant  owners, 
no  hint  of  unworthy  methods  tarnished  the  luster  of  his 
good  name.  Almost  two  millions  of  people — the  present 
population  of  Chicago — are  indebted  to  Mr.  Palmer  for 
his  clear  vision  and  his  courage,  and  the  immense 
increase  in  value  of  State  street  property,  as  well  as 
for  the  architectural  beauty  of  the  street,  the  credit 
for  which  can  be  ascribed  to  him  only. 

A  cruel  fate  for  the  second  time  intervened  just  as 
Mr.  Palmer  was  beginning  to  reap  the  benefit  of  his 
enterprise.  The  great  fire  of  1871  destroyed  the  busi- 
ness portion  of  Chicago,  and  much  of  the  residence 
district,  and  Mr.  Palmer's  thirty-two  buildings  were 
burned,  many  of  which  were  only  just  finished,  and 
were  on  a  scale  of  expense  and  beauty  which  he  thought 
commensurate  with  the  future  needs  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Palmer  lost  no  time  in  lamentation.  His  loy- 
alty to  the  city  of  his  choice  never  wavered.  His  faith 
in  the  future  of  Chicago  was  unimpaired.  With  the 


Potter  Palmer.  601 

loss  of  his  building's  (which  were  mainly  uninsured, 
because  his  theory  had  been  that  it  was  cheaper  to 
insure  himself),  and  the  entire  sweeping  away  of  his 
large  income,  his  resources  were  crippled.  Upon  his 
land,  which,  when  divested  of  its  buildings,  was  valued 
at  over  $4,000,000,  he  borrowed  from  the  Connecticut 
Mutual  Life  Insurance  Co.,  of  Hartford,  $1,700,000  (the 
largest  individual  loan  ever  made  up  to  that  time,  and 
proving  the  esteem  in  which  Mr.  Palmer  was  generally 
held),  wherewith  to  undertake  the  laborious  task  of 
rebuilding.  The  immediate  demand  for  building  mate- 
rials with  which  to  reconstruct  the  destroyed  city  was 
so  great  that  not  only  did  prices  rise  greatly,  but  it 
was  impossible  for  American  firms  to  fill  the  orders  for 
the  structural  iron  required  in  the  new  buildings.  In 
this  emergency  Mr.  Palmer  was  made  chairman  of  a 
committee  to  go  to  Washington  and  lay  before  congress 
a  petition  from  the  citizens  of  Chicago,  asking  that  the 
duty  on  imported  structural  iron  required  in  the  rebuild- 
ing of  Chicago  should  be  done  away  with,  and  those 
materials  admitted  free  of  duty  from  foreign  countries. 
After  a  little  effort  this  legislation  was  secured,  and 
Mr.  Palmer  had  the  gratification  of  bringing  back  to 
the  desolated  city  the  good  news  of  sympathy  and  help 
extended  to  it  by  the  congress  of  the  United  States. 

Mr.  H.  H.  Honore  (father  of  Mrs.  Palmer)  was  one 
of  the  original  projectors  who  organized  the  scheme 
and  secured  the  legislation  to  create  the  park  system. 
Mr.  Palmer,  though  now  occupied  in  rebuilding,  found 
time  to  take  a  prominent  part  in  building  up  the  South 
Park  and  boulevard  systems.  He  was  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  South  Park  commission  for  many  years,  and 
aided  in  laying  out  and  beautifying  Jackson  and  Wash- 
ington parks  and  the  connecting  boulevards.  These 
latter  were  soon  extended  to  reach  the  west  parks  and 
Lincoln  Park;  and  the  whole  system  now  forms  one  of 
the  great  ornaments  of  the  city  and  affords  pleasure 
grounds  for  its  vast  population. 


602  Potter  Palmer. 

Lake  Michigan  furnished  a  sublime  opportunity 
for  putting  in  the  finishing  touches  in  the  outlines  of 
the  new  Chicago.  The  south  shore  was  sure  to  be 
intercepted  by  large  manufacturing  plants,  but  the 
north  shore  seemed  destined  to  be  covered  with  pal- 
aces and  villas,  parks  and  pleasure  grounds  for  public 
and  private  uses.  A  boulevard  along  the  north  shore 
would  command  access  to  all  these  beauties  of  art  and 
nature  combined,  Lake  Michigan  on  the  east,  with  its 
grand  panorama  of  water  and  sky,  extending  itself  to 
where  the  sea  meets  the  horizon.  Mr.  Palmer  saw  in 
such  a  frontage  the  possibility  of  a  new  and  much 
needed  residence  section.  He,  accordingly,  bought 
largely  on  the  Lake  Shore  Drive  and  adjacent  to  it,  all 
of  which  was  then  a  portion  of  the  lake  covered  by 
water,  with  a  road  extending  on  piles  across  its  front. 
Mr.  Palmer  immediately  employed  dredges  and  pumped 
the  pure  lake  sand  from  the  bed  of  the  lake  into  the 
vacant  property,  which  was  thus  filled  with  absolutely 
clean  and  wholesome  sand,  and  formed  an  admirable 
foundation  for  the  structures  which  were  to  be  erected. 
To  the  improvement  of  the  Lake  Shore  Drive,  building 
his  own  home  upon  it,  and  the  development  of  the 
adjacent  streets,  Mr.  Palmer  gave  the  remaining  years 
of  his  life.  A  charming  resident  district  was  created 
by  the  man  who  had  the  clear  vision  to  perceive  its 
natural  advantages  and  the  nerve  to  take  upon  his 
willing  shoulders  another  herculean  task,  which,  like 
the  widening  of  State  street,  could  only  have  attained 
its  highest  possibilities  by  being  taken  in  hand  in  its 
immaturity,  and  pushed  forward  upon  well  organized 
plans  until  the  end  was  attained  and  the  general  public 
could  profit  by  the  results. 

While  occupying  himself  with  his  own  independent 
projects  for  the  betterment  of  the  city,  Mr.  Palmer 
was  not  narrow  in  his  aims,  but  was  always  a  liberal 
contributor  to  its  institutions  and  charities.  With  all 
of  the  public  institutions,  before  the  fire,  and  most  of 


Potter  Palmer.  603 

them  later,  he  was  identified.  He  was  the  largest  con- 
tributor to  the  permanent  exhibition  held  for  many 
years  on  the  lake  front,  to  the  old  Academy  of  Design 
which  ceased  to  exist  after  the  fire,  also  to  the  Academy 
of  Sciences. 

He  was  among  those  who  helped  to  plan  and  carry 
into  execution  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  of 
1893.  He  was  elected  one  of  the  first  vice-presidents 
when  its  board  was  organized,  and  was  a  member  of  its 
first  board  of  directors.  He  was  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee of  grounds  and  buildings,  of  its  fine  arts  com- 
mittee, and  a  large  investor  in  stock  of  the  company. 
In  his  palatial  home  he  had  an  art  collection  not  sur- 
passed in  grandeur  in  the  United  States.  It  consisted 
of  curios,  books,  objects  of  virtu,  precious  stones  and 
many  things  in  the  line  of  art,  which  had  been  accumu- 
lated in  America  and  the  Old  World  in  the  travels  of 
Mr.  Palmer  and  his  wife. 

His  picture  galleries  have  been,  not  only  a  center 
of  art  influence,  but  have  been  constantly  thrown  open 
for  the  benefit  of  charities,  and  for  gatherings  of  inter- 
ested friends  to  organize  and  launch  humanitarian  and 
social  projects  of  all  kinds.  Thousands  of  dollars, 
amounting  probably  to  $100,000,  have  been  raised  for 
charities  by  entertainments  given  in  this  hospitable 
mansion,  without  mentioning  the  numberless  times  it 
it  has  been  opened  for  art  students  and  others.  His 
special  joy  was  to  make  his  home  beautiful  and  attract- 
ive, and  he  loved  to  dispense  a  consistent  hospitality, 
and  to  make  it  a  center  of  happy  influences.  There, 
with  his  family  around  him,  whom  he  loved  with  an 
ideal  affection,  he  peacefully  passed  away,  leaving  a 
void  at  the  fireside  which  can  never  be  filled. 


MARK   SKINNER. 

Mark  Skinner  was  born  in  1813,  at  Manchester, 
Vt.  His  father,  Richard  Skinner  (born  at  Litchfield, 
Coiin.,  1778),  was  a  lawyer  of  distinction  in  Vermont, 
having  held  at  various  terms  the  offices  of  prosecuting 
attorney,  probate  judge,  a  seat  in  the  legislature,  gov- 
ernor, member  of  congress  and  chief  justice  of  the 
state.  Frances  Pierpont,  the  mother  of  Judge  Skinner, 
was  born  in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  in  1782.  She  was 
descended  from  John  Pierpont,  who  settled  near  Bos- 
ton in  1640,  the  first  of  the  name  in  this  country.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch,  Mark  Skinner,  graduated  at 
Middlebury  college  in  1833,  soon  after  which  he  spent 
one  year  at  the  New  Haven  law  school.  He  came  to 
Chicago  in  July,  1836,  and  was  soon  admitted  to  the 
bar,  and  formed  a  partnership  with  George  A.  O.  Beau- 
mont, from  Connecticut,  with  whom  he  continued  in 
business  until  1844.  In  1840,  he  was  city  attorney  for 
Chicago.  In  1842,  he  was  elected  one  of  the  board 
of  school  inspectors;  in  1844,  United  States  district 
attorney. 

January  30,  1841,  he  with  Walter  L.  Newberry, 
Hugh  Dickey,  Peter  Page,  Walter  S.  Gurney,  who 
afterward  became  mayor  of  Chicago,  and  other 
public  spirited  citizens,  organized  the  Young  Men's 
Association,  which  ultimately  grew  into  the  Chicago 
Public  Library  as  it  now  is.  In  1846,  Mr.  Skinner  was 
elected  member  of  the  general  assembly,  in  which 
capacity  he  was  appointed  chairman  of  the  committee 
on  finance,  and  introduced  the  bill  for  funding  the 

(604) 


< 


Mark  Skinner.  605 

state  debt  and  paying  it  in  full,  dollar  for  dollar,  which 
through  his  influence,  passed  the  house  and  became  a 
law.  At  that  time  it  was  a  question  whether  to  repudi- 
ate or  to  pay  it,  and  preserve  the  credit  of  the  state. 
This  was  a  critical  period  in  Illinois  history,  and  too 
much  credit  cannot  be  awarded  the  committee  for  its 
action  in  this  bill.  Meantime  it  should  not  be  forgotten 
that  the  Illinois  Central  railroad  did  much  to  relieve 
the  state  from  this  incubus.* 

In  1847  Mr.  Skinner  formed  a  partnership  with 
Thomas  Hoyne,  and  was  soon  after  elected  judge  of 
Cook  county  court  of  common  pleas. 

He  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  Chicago 
Historical  Society,  organized  in  1856,  and  he  was  fore- 
most among  them  in  his  efforts  to  make  it  a  success. 
He  was  very  constant  in  his  attendance  at  their  meet- 
ings, and  on  these  occasions  the  writer  of  this  article 
calls  to  mind  his  earnest  advocacy  of  introducing  young 
blood  into  the  society,  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  on 
the  work  after  its  early  members  had  passed  away.  In 
this  work  it  ought  to  be  mentioned  that  J.  Y.  Scammon 
was  his  peer.  Both  of  these  gentlemen  were  foremost 
in  their  action  to  help  in  the  building  up  of  every 
literary  or  artistic  institution  that  could  benefit  pres- 
ent and  future  generations.  It  is  fortunate  for  Chicago 
that  such  men,  and  others  who  could  be  named,  helped 
to  found  so  many  prominent  institutions  that  now 
decorate  our  city.  As  previously  told  in  this  volume, 
it  was  due  to  Judge  Skinner's  legal  acumen  in  draw- 
ing up  the  will  of  Mr.  Newberry,  that  the  provisions 
for  the  immense  Newberry  Library  were  made  incon- 
testable. Judge  Skinner  was  a  warm  friend  of  John 
H.  Kinzie,  at  whose  house  he  married  Elizabeth  Magill 
Williams,  May  21, 1841,  a  cousin  of  Mrs.  John  H.  Kinzie. 
Judge  Skinner  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Home 
of  the  Friendless,  established  in  1858,  and  its  president 
in  1860-61.  Mrs.  Skinner  was  a  member  of  its  first 

*  See  History  of  Illinois  Central  R.  R,  p.  578,  Vol.  II,  of  this  work. 


606  Mark  Skinner. 

board  of  directors.  Both  were  zealous  workers  and 
liberal  contributors  to  the  support  of  the  institution. 
Judge  Skinner's  most  valuable  service  for  his  country 
was  his  connection  with  the  Sanitary  Commission  dur- 
ing the  war  of  the  rebellion  (in  which  his  only  living- 
son  gave  up  his  life).  Judge  Skinner  was  the  first 
president  of  the  western  branch  of  this  commission,  and 
a  member  of  its  general  board.  His  arduous  labors  in 
this  work  almost  cost  him  his  life,  obliging  him  after 
some  years  of  service,  to  resign  on  account  of  severe 
illness.  This  son,  Richard  Skinner,  graduated  from 
Yale  college,  New  Haven,  in  1862,  and  that  summer 
entered  the  army,  a  second  lieutenancy  in  the  tenth 
regulars  having  been  given  him  by  Secretary  Stanton, 
on  a  note  from  President  Lincoln.  He  was  with  Gen- 
erals Hunter,  Pope  and  Roberts,  on  staff  duty  till  June, 
1864,  when  he  was  ordered  to  join  his  regiment,  which 
had  been  nearly  decimated.  He  left  Texas  and  reached 
Petersburg,  Va.,  June  19,  and  three  days  later  was 
shot  in  battle,  dying  in  a  hospital  tent  the  day  following. 
He  had  been  brevetted  a  captain.  His  remains  lie  in 
the  family  lot  at  Manchester,  Vt.  Judge  Skinner  had 
a  choice  library,  the  collection  of  which  dated  from  his 
arrival  in  Chicago,  and  continued  to  the  time  of  his 
death.  It  consisted  of  a  rare  collection  of  Americana 
and  general  literature,  all  of  which  was  selected  with  a 
judgment  which  could  only  come  from  an  extensive 
knowledge  of  books.  After  the  death  of  Mrs.  Skinner 
this  library  was  divided  between  his  daughters,  one 
half  remaining  in  the  home,  100  Rush  street.  His  death 
occurred  in  Manchester,  Vt.,  September  16,  1887,  and 
his  burial  was  from  the  house  in  which  he  was  born. 
Mrs.  Skinner  survived  her  husband  a  few  years.  She 
died  at  Woodstock,  Vt.  (where  she  was  spending  a  part 
of  the  summer),  September  12,  1891,  and  was  buried  by 
her  husband's  side  in  Manchester. 


f»>- 


e*-^^*^^.., 


A 


6 


X 

4y-e-£**j^t^£. 


THE   KINZIES. 

In  the  spring  of  1804  John  Kinzie  and  his  wife 
Eleanor  Ly  tie  Kinzie,  each  mounted  on  a  horse,  threaded 
their  way  through  the  deep  forests  of  Michigan,  along 
a  bridle  track  marked  by  blazes  on  the  trees.  This 
track  led  from  Detroit  to  Chicago,  passing  through 
Charms  (now  Niles),  Mich.,  an  old  French  trading 
station.  The  whole  effects  of  this  newly  married 
couple  were  lashed  to  the  backs  of  their  horses,  includ- 
ing their  first  baby,  for  whom  a  swaddling  pocket  was 
made,  and  suspended  to  the  horn  of  the  saddle.  In 
this  pocket  the  baby  was  lulled  to  sleep  by  the  motion 
of  the  horse.  Each  night  they  camped  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and  it  is  presumed  they  took  good  care  that  the 
wolves  that  howled  around  them  should  not  get  hold  of 
"Johnny."  On  their  arrival  at  Chicago,  Mr.  Kinzie 
purchased  the  French  trading  establishment  of  M. 
LeMai,  which  he  improved  from  time  to  time,  till  it 
became  the  old  Kinzie  Mansion,  as  it  was  called  in 
history,  situated  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Chicago 
river,  opposite  Fort  Dearborn,  close  by  where  Rush 
street  bridge  now  is.  In  this  home  the  baby,  John 
Harris  Kinzie,  spent  his  childhood  till  nine  years  of 
age,  at  which  time  the  Chicago  massacre  of  1812 
occurred,  the  details  of  which  have  already  been  told 
in  Vol.  I,  of  this  history. 

After  the  massacre  John  Kinzie  and  his  family 
were  sent  to  Detroit  as  British  prisoners  of  war.  The 
United  States  and  England  were  then  at  war  with  each 
other,  and  in  that  war  the  Chicago  massacre  was, 

(608) 


(4) 


The  Kinzies.  609 

indirectly,  executed  on  British  account.  Peace  was 
restored  by  the  treaty  of  Ghent,  between  United  States 
and  England,  in  1814,  and  in  1816  John  Kinzie  with  his 
family  returned  to  Chicago.  John  Harris  Kinzie,  one 
of  the  subjects  of  this  sketch,  was  then  thirteen  years 
old.  Two  years  later,  in  1818,  he  was  taken  to 
Mackinac  by  his  father,  and  indentured  to  the  Ameri- 
can Fur  Co.  for  five  years,  during  which  period  he 
made  his  home  with  Robert  Stuart,  at  the  same  time 
having  the  social  advantages  and  friendship  of  Ramsey 
Crooks  and  family,  both  families  being  old  friends  of 
the  Kinzie  family.  Mrs.  Stuart,  a  well  educated 
woman,  took  great  interest  in  young  Kinzie,  and  in  her 
evening  instructions  to  him,  orally  and  by  means  of 
books  well  selected,  made  up  to  him  as  good  educa- 
tional privileges  as  boys  have  at  the  present  day. 

Mackinac  was  then  the  great  commercial  empo- 
rium of  the  northwest,  the  bulk  of  their  commerce 
being  trade  with  the  Indians  in  furs.  Chicago  was  an 
outpost,  Prairie  du  Chien  was  another,  and  Mr.  Kinzie 
was  transferred  to  the  latter  outpost  in  1824.  Here, 
while  employed  by  the  American  Fur  Co.,  he  became 
thoroughly  conversant  with  the  Winnebago  language, 
and  wrote  a  grammar  of  this  language,*  which,  after 
his  death,  was  presented  to  the  Chicago  Historical 
Society. 

Meantime  Gen.  Lewis  Cass,  then  governor  of 
Michigan,  having  invited  him  to  become  his  private 
secretary,  he  left  the  employ  of  the  American  Fur 
Co.  to  accept  the  position,  and  became  a  member  of 
the  governor's  family  in  Detroit,  and  as  an  aide  on 
the  governor's  staff  was  entitled  "Colonel."  While 
acting  in  this  capacity  he  was  stationed  a  part  of  the 
time  at  Upper  Sandusky,  Ohio,  among  the  Wyandot 

*  Grammar  of  the  Indian  language  may  seem  an  impossibility  to 
persons  not  acquainted  with  Indian  literature;  but  Schoolcraft,  from 
his  thirty  years'  experience  among  the  Algonquins,  says  that  the 
Indian  language  is  capable  of  as  perfect  analysis  as  the  English  or 
French  language. 

(4) 


610  The  Kinzies. 

and  Huron  Indians,  branches  of  the  Iroquois  tribes^ 
Here  he  compiled  a  grammar  of  their  language,  which 
was  essentially  different  from  that  of  the  Winnebagos, 
who  belonged  to  the  Algonquin  division  of  the  North 
American  Indians. 

In  1829  he  was  appointed  government  agent  for 
the  upper  bands  of  the  Winnebago  Indians,  making  his 
headquarters  at  Fort  Winnebago,  near  Portage  City, 
on  the  Wisconsin  river.  Mr.  Kinzie  married,  August 
9,  1830,  at  the  house  of  Judge  Sanger,  in  Utica,  N.  Y., 
Miss  Juliette  Augusta  Magill,  daughter  of  Arthur 
William  Magill,  of  Middletown,  Conn.,  a  prominent 
banker,  and  on  the  maternal  side  a  great-granddaughter 
of  Gov.  Roger  Wolcott.  Mr.  Kinzie  took  his  bride  to 
Fort  Winnebago,  where  they  remained  until  1834, 
when  they  removed  to  Chicago  with  their  first-born 
child,  Wolcott,  occupying  a  house  called  Cobweb  Castle 
for  two  years,  when  they  built  the  brick  house  on  the 
corner  of  Cass  and  Michigan  streets,  in  which  he  sub- 
sequently lived.  This  house  was  the  birthplace  of 
six  more  children,  who,  together  with  more  than  that 
number  of  adopted  nephews,  nieces  and  cousins,  made 
a  lively  group  of  youngsters.  Mr.  Kinzie  played  the 
violin,  attuned  to  Mrs.  Kinzie's  piano  music.  The  tip- 
toe work  of  the  boys  and  girls  did  the  rest  to  furnish 
the  fireside  merriment  of  the  long  winter  evenings. 
These  recreations  were  far  better  to  give  character  to 
youthful  minds  than  the  public  shows  of  modern  days. 

Mrs.  Kinzie  became  the  authoress  of  "Walter 
Ogleby,"  "Waubun"  and  "Mark  Logan."  "  Wau- 
bun,"  was  a  book  well  known  among  literary  per- 
sons in  the  United  States,  and  even  in  England  to  a 
large  extent.  The  history  of  the  Chicago  massacre 
contained  in  it  was  detailed  to  her  by  eye-witnesses, 
which  makes  it  authentic  and  above  criticism.  Its 
style  has  been  approved  by  the  best  literary  critics  and 
reviewers.  Mrs.  Kinzie's  classical  education,  her  brill- 
iant conversational  powers  and  personal  attractions 


The  Kinzies.  611 

made  her  home  in  Chicago  the  social  center  of  litera- 
ture and  art,  where  she  was  looked  up  to  as  a  model  to 
be  imitated.  She  may  truthfully  be  called  the  pioneer 
of  art  and  literature  in  Chicago,  as  the  writer  well 
knows,  who  sometimes  had  the  honor  of  being  enter- 
tained in  her  home. 

The  Indians  always  had  a  keen  sense  of  justice, 
and  at  Fort  Winnebago  they  soon  learned  that  Mr. 
Kinzie's  dealings  with  them  were  frank,  open  hearted 
and  friendly.  It  is  not  strange  that  they  should  have 
looked  upon  him  as  a  man  of  superior  intellect  and 
sound  judgment,  especially  as  he  was  a  man  of  com- 
manding figure,  above  six  feet  in  height,  with  large 
dark  blue  eyes,  dark  hair,  and  made  up  in  a  way  to 
inspire  respect  from  both  Indians  and  white  people. 
Many  present  citizens  of  Chicago  well  remember  Mr. 
Kinzie,  among  them  the  writer.  He  spoke  thirteen  dif- 
ferent Indian  languages,  which  showed  how  extensively 
he  had  become  acquainted  with  them  and  had  won 
their  confidence.  They  honored  him  with  the  same 
Indian  name,  Shaw-nee-aw-kee,*  that  they  gave  his 
father,  whose  memory  was  still  fresh  in  their  minds. 

In  1834  Mr.  Kinzie  was  made  first  president  of 
Chicago  under  a  village  organization.  In  1841  he  was 
made  registrar  of  public  lands  by  President  William 
Henry  Harrison  (Old  Tippecanoe).  In  1849  President 
Zachary  Taylor  appointed  him  receiver  of  public  mon- 
eys and  depositary,  which  office  he  resigned  at  the 

*  The  following  is  a  quotation  from  a  letter  written  to  the  writer, 
by  his  daughter.  Mrs.  Nellie  Kinzie  Gordon  :  "My  father  had  occa- 
sion to  go,  in  the  early  50's,  to  Prairie  du  Chien.  The  Mississippi 
boat  stopped  '  to  wood'  and,  although  there  was  no  settlement,  only  a 
rough  landing,  my  father,  seeing  some  Indians  on  the  bank,  went 
ashore.  He  entered  into  conversation  (in  Indian)  with  a  lad  about 
sixteen  years  old,  who  grinned  and  seemed  very  delighted.  My  father 
said  to  him,  '  Do  you  know  who  I  am  V '  '  You  are  Shaw-nee-aw-kee,'  the 
boy  replied.  As  my  father  had  never  seen  the  boy  before,  and  had 
not  been  in  that  part  of  the  country  for  twenty  years,  he  was  puzzled 
to  find  himself  recognized.  '  How  do  you  know  I  am  Shaw-nee-aw-kee? 
You  never  saw  me  before.'  '  No.'  answered  the  boy,  'but  we  have  all 
been  told  about  you  in  our  tribe.  We  have  a  description  of  you,  and 
we  know  you  talk  our  language.'  " 


612  The  Einz-ies. 

opening-  of  the  civil  war,  to  accept  the  appointment  by 
President  Lincoln  of  paymaster  in  the  army  in  1861, 
with  supervision  of  Michigan,  Wisconsin  and  Illinois, 
with  rank  of  major  and  headquarters  at  Chicago.  In 
1864  he  was  made  lieutenant  colonel.  During-  this 
period  his  two  eldest  sons,  John  and  Arthur,  volun- 
teered in  the  civil  war.  John  entered  the  navy.  He 
was  on  the  gunboat  "Mound  City"  under  Admiral  Davis 
when  the  Confederate  fort  on  White  river,  Arkansas, 
was  captured.  A  shot  of  the  enemy  penetrated  the 
boiler  of  the  ' '  Mound  City,"  and  an  explosion  was  the 
result,  throwing  ninety-seven  men  into  the  water, 
scalded  and  dying  ;  whereupon  the  Union  forces  sent  a 
hospital  boat  to  the  rescue  ;  but  regardless  of  the 
ordinary  rules  of  war,  the  sharpshooters  of  the  Confed- 
erate fort  took  deadly  aim  at  the  helpless  victims,  and 
shot  many  of  them  while  struggling  in  the  water. 
Young  Kinzie  was  shot  as  he  was  being  lifted  into  the 
boat.  Hearing  shouts  of  victory,  he  asked  :  u  Have  we 
taken  the  fort  ?  Then  I  am  ready  to  die  now."  He 
drew  his  last  breath  at  sunrise  next  morning,  June  18, 
1862.  The  other  son,  Arthur,  was  taken  prisoner  of 
war  by  General  Forrest  at  Memphis,  Tenn.  He  died 
at  Riverside,  111.,  in  the  spring  of  1902,  leaving  Mrs. 
Nellie  Kinzie  Gordon  last  survivor  of  the  seven  chil- 
dren. The  cruel  death  of  the  patriotic  son  John  gave 
his  parents  a  shock  from  which  they  never  recovered  ; 
but  Mr.  Kinzie  continued  in  his  arduous  labors  till  the 
spring  of  1865,  when  his  health  began  to  fail  and, 
obtaining  a  leave  of  absence,  he  started  for  a  mountain 
resort  in  the  east,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  daughter, 
Mrs.  Nellie  Gordon,  and  son  Arthur.  As  the  train 
which  carried  them  approached  Pittsburg,  a  blind  fid- 
dler came  into  the  car  asking  alms.  Mr.  Kinzie  put 
his  hand  in  his  pocket  to  get  his  purse.  Before  he 
had  withdrawn  it  his  head  fell  forward,  and  he  expired 
instantly.  His  death  took  place  June  21,  1865. 


The  Kinzies.  613 

Mr.  Kinzie  was  the  last  survivor  of  those  who 
beheld  the  Chicago  massacre.  He  belonged  to  the 
heroic  age  of  Chicago's  history.  He  had  seen  Chicago 
when  it  was  but  a  defenseless  fort,  and  had  seen  it 
as  an  Indian  village.  He  had  seen  it  as  a  metropolis 
of  the  fur  trade.  He  had  seen  it  when  it  had  more 
Indian  wigwams  than  houses  for  white  people.  He  had 
seen  it  when  temperance  societies  and  public  schools 
were  not  thought  of  here,  and  he  lived  to  see  it  the 
great  commercial  emporium  of  the  northwest.  His 
death  was  universally  lamented. 

Mrs.  Juliette  A.  Kinzie,  his  wife,  died  after  a 
short  illness  September  15,  1870,  at  Amagansett,  on 
Long  Island,  where  she  with  her  grandchildren  and 
her  daughter,  Mrs.  Gordon,  were  spending  the  summer. 
Her  remains  were  brought  to  Chicago,  and  laid  beside 
her  husband  and  children  in  Graceland  cemetery. 
IJer  husband  had  helped  build  up  Chicago  in  a  material 
and  moral  way.  She  had  been  foremost  in  building 
it  up  in  a  literary  and  artistic  way.  There  would  be 
a  chasm  in  Chicago  history  without  brief  biographies 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Harris  Kinzie. 

Their  only  daughter,  Mrs.  Nellie  Kinzie  Gordon, 
the  last  surviving  member  of  their  family,  is  now 
living  in  Savannah,  Ga.,  the  wife  of  Brig. -Gen.  William 
W.  Gordon,  a  native  of  Savannah.  They  were  married 
in  Chicago,  December  21,  1857.  General  Gordon  was 
made  a  brigadier-general  by  President  McKinley,  at 
the  beginning  of  the  Spanish- American  war;  he  served 
under  General  Fitzhugh  Lee,  until  he  was  appointed 
peace  commissioner  to  Porto  Rico,  together  with  Maj.- 
Gen.  John  R.  Brooke  and  Rear-Admiral  Winfield  S. 
Schley,  by  President  McKinley,  in  July,  1898. 

In  a  letter  to  the  writer,  Mrs.  Gordon  says  :  "My 
Grandmother  Kinzie,  who  saved  Mrs.  Heald's  life  by 
secreting  her  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat  wherein  the 


614  The  Kinzies. 

Kinzie  family  were  rescued,  and  my  aunt,  Margaret 
Helm  (sister  to  my  father),  were  in  the  thick  of  the 
fight  in  the  Chicago  massacre." 

Mrs.  Gordon  inherited  the  true  military  and  patri- 
otic spirit  of  the  Kinzie  family,  and  was  foremost  in 
planning  for  the  comfort,  and  ministering  personally 
to  the  wants  of  the  sick  soldiers  in  the  southern  camps 
during  the  Spanish  war.  She  is  yet  in  the  prime  of 
her  usefulness,  and  a  worthy  representative  of  the 
founders  of  Chicago. 


PRESIDENT   WM.    R.    HARPKR 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO. 

In  1890  the  site  of  the  present  University  was  a 
tract  of  swamp  land,  comprising1  four  city  blocks, 
located  between  Fifty -seventh  and  Fifty-ninth  streets 
and  Ellis  and  Lexington  avenues,  in  the  city  of  Chicago. 
Across  this  tract  there  ran  diagonally  a  little  sand 
ridge,  which  was  marked  by  a  small  grove  of  scrub 
oaks,  which  seemed  to  thrive  despite  the  unfavorable 
environment.  This  tract  was  surrounded  on  all  sides 
by  prairie,  desolate  and  uninviting.  If  there  was  any-' 
thing  predominant  it  was  sand,  which  appeared  cropping 
out  from  the  soil  here  and  there,  or  in  greater  abund- 
ance where  a  street  had  been  surveyed  or  a  sidewalk 
planned. 

In  1902  twenty  stone  buildings,  with  red  tiled  roofs, 
are  to  be  seen;  the  buildings  constructed  of  an  Indiana 
limestone  which,  softening  under  the  influence  of  the 
climate,  quickly  gives  to  the  comparatively  new  build- 
ings an  aspect  of  age  not  to  be  secured  elsewhere 
except  after  many  years.  As  a  foretaste  of  what  is 
to  be  expected  when  the  plan  of  the  founders  is  fully 
realized,  there  is  one  great  portal  of  stone,  barred  by 
heavy  iron  gates,  which  prophesy  the  time  when  the 
University  precincts  will  be  entered  only  through  such 
openings,  being  otherwise  shut  out  from  the  busy 
world  around.  On  top  of  this  gateway  are  grinning 
gargoyles  and  fierce  dragons — an  element  of  mediaeval 
life  transplanted  into  the  midst  of  the  great  city  of  the 
prairies.  The  main  entrance  to  the  University  grounds 
is  from  what  is  known  as  the  Midway  Plaisance,  for 

(615) 


616  The  University  of  Chicago. 

a  short  time  an  unsavory  term,  because  it  recalled  the 
many  freaks  of  the  World's  Fair  of  1893,  but  now  a 
part  of  the  great  South  Park  system  of  the  city,  which 
includes  two  great  parks,  with  the  Plaisance  as  a 
connecting  link.  Near  by  are  pleasant  homes  and 
paved  streets  and  concrete  sidewalks — every  one  of 
these  improvements  being  the  work  of  less  than  ten 
years. 

While  these  striking  facts  indicate  the  newness 
which  marks  the  University  of  Chicago,  yet  there  are 
some  roots  which  are  buried  quite  deep  in  the  past. 
During  the  years  1857  to  1886  there  was  in  the  city 
what  was  called  the  Chicago  University,  an  institution 
founded  by  the  Hon.  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  who  earnestly 
hoped  that  the  principal  city  of  his  state  might  become 
the  seat  of  a  great  institution  of  learning.  Financial 
difficulties  surrounded  this  University  almost  from  its 
inception,  and  finally,  after  a  heroic  struggle,  its  trus- 
tees were  compelled  to  close  its  doors  in  1886,  leaving 
behind  a  record  of  substantial  work  accomplished,  as 
evidenced  by  a  list  of  alumni,  many  of  them  men  and 
women  of  prominence  in  the  growing  city.  This  "  Old 
University,'*  as  it  is  called,  had  hardly  closed  its  doors 
before  efforts  were  begun  to  establish  a  new  institu- 
tion, freed  from  the  financial  difficulties,  but  working 
substantially  on  the  lines  of  the  old.  The  alumni  of 
the  Chicago  University  felt  the  desirability  of  a  revival 
of  their  Alma  Mater,  and  when  the  plans  for  the  new 
University  of  Chicago  were  first  formulated,  one  of 
the  conditions  which  were  made  by  the  trustees  was 
that  the  alumni  of  the  old  Chicago  University  might 
be  recognized  as  graduates  of  the  new  University 
of  Chicago,  if  they  made  formal  request  for  such 
recognition. 

In  addition  to  its  collegiate  basis  in  past  history, 
there  nourished  between  the  years  1860  and  1892  what 
was  known  as  the  Baptist  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
started  as  an  adjunct  of  the  Chicago  University  and 


TJie  University  of  Chicago. 


617 


established  during  the  first  years  of  its  history,  just 
across  the  street  from  the  campus  of  the  University 
proper.  The  institution  afterward  was  located  in  Mor- 
gan Park,  a  suburb  about  fourteen  miles  away.  This 
seminary  had  a  large  number  of  graduates,  many  of 
them  leaders  of  thought  and  life  in  the  Baptist  denomi- 
nation, particularly  in  the  west.  As  the  existence  of 


irrrrr 


Ill 


WALKER    MUSEUM 


the  old  University  was  recognized  in  the  conditions 
already  mentioned,  so  it  was  early  provided  that  if  the 
new  University  were  to  be  established  in  Chicago,  the 
Baptist  Union  Theological  Seminary  should  become 
the  divinity  school,  and,  furthermore,  should  be  brought 
into  close  proximity  with  the  institution  by  being 
moved  from  its  suburban  home  to  the  University 
grounds. 


618  The  University  of  Chicago. 

But  while  these  elements  of  strength  came  from  the 
past  history,  adding  at  once  a  large  body  of  alumni 
upon  whose  interest  the  institution  could  count,  it  is 
nevertheless  true  that  in  its  conception  and  develop- 
ment the  University  of  Chicago  is  essentially  a  child  of 
only  ten  years  of  age.  The  initial  movement  seems  to 
have  been  made,  as  has  already  been  stated,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  ending  of  the  old  University.  Mr.  John 
D.  Rockefeller,  of  New  York  city,  a  prominent  Baptist 
layman,  who  had  long  been  known  for  his  quiet  and 
unostentatious  gifts  to  education  and  religion,  held  a 
conference  with  Professor  William  R.  Harper,  of  Yale 
University,  in  regard  to  the  possibility  of  establishing 
a  new  college.  Several  locations  were  carefully  con- 
sidered, but  it  was  soon  very  clear  to  their  minds  that 
the  seat  of  the  institution  should  be  Chicago,  which 
gave  every  evidence  of  rapid  growth  and  from  its  geo- 
graphical situation  seemed  to  hold  the  key  to  the  edu- 
cational situation  of  the  west.  This  was  in  the  year 
1888,  and  the  same  year  marked  the  organization  of 
what  was  known  as  the  American  Baptist  Education 
Society,  a  society  formed  in  Washington  in  May,  1888, 
with  the  express  purpose  of  establishing  a  college  in 
Chicago,  and  also  stimulating  the  friends  of  other 
Baptist  institutions  by  conditional  offers  of  money  to 
them,  the  plan  being  for  the  society  to  offer  to  give  a 
certain  sum  of  money  to  an  institution  on  condition 
that  the  friends  of  the  institution  would  raise  a  similar 
amount  before  a  given  day.  All  the  preliminary 
arrangements  for  the  establishment  of  the  University 
of  Chicago,  therefore,  were  under  the  direction  of  this 
society.  The  secretary  was  Mr.  Fred  T.  Gates,  who 
was  early  impressed  with  the  importance  of  the  great 
work  which  the  society  had  undertaken. 

After  much  conference,  in  1889  a  committee  of  nine 
prominent  men  was  appointed  to  examine  into  the 
scope  of  the  proposed  institution,  the  location,  the 
funds  required  for  a  substantial  foundation,  and  the 


T/ie  University  of  Chicago. 


619 


extent  to  which  the  Education  Society  could  wisely 
co-operate  in  the  undertaking-.  This  committee  of 
nine  was  composed  of  Dr.  William  R.  Harper,  profes- 
sor of  semitics  and  Biblical  literature  in  Yale  Univer- 
sity ;  Dr.  Alvah  Hovey,  president  of  Newton  Theolog- 
ical Institution  ;  Dr.  H.  G.  Weston,  president  of  Crozer 
Theological  Seminary  ;  Dr.  J.  M.  Taylor,  President  of 
Vassar  College  ;  Dr.  E.  B.  Andrews,  professor  of  his- 
tory in  Cornell  University;  Hon.  C.  L.  Colby,  a  promi- 


FOSTER    HALL 
(Dormitory  for  Women) 

nent  Baptist  layman  ;  and  Dr.  Samuel  W.  Duncan,  Dr. 
H.  L.  Morehouseand  Rev.  J.  F.  Elder,  leading  Baptist 
ministers.  This  committee  gave  the  subject  which  was 
referred  to  it  most  careful  consideration,  and  in  1889 
made  an  elaborate  report,  which  resulted  in  the  adop- 
tion of  a  series  of  resolutions  by  the  Education  Society, 
that  the  proposed  institution  should  be  established. 
These  resolutions  had  hardly  been  adopted  when  Mr. 
Rockefeller,  on  May  15,  1889,  offered  to  give  $600,000 


620  The  University  of  Chicago. 

as  an  endowment  fund  for  the  new  institution,  pro- 
vided that  8400,000  in  addition  be  secured  from  friends 
of  the  project,  this  additional  money  to  be  used  in  the 
purchase  of  land  and  the  erection  of  buildings.  When 
the  committee  of  the  Education  Society  took  up  the 
work  of  canvassing-  it  very  quickly  found  the  response 
so  sympathetic  that  it  was  early  seen  that  the  plan  to 
establish  a  college  in  Chicago  would  have  to  be  aban- 
doned in  favor  of  a  wider  one  for  the  establishment  of 
a  university. 

The  subscriptions  came  so  rapidly  and  in  such 
large  sums  as  to  astonish  those  who  had  undertaken 
the  work.  It  is  doubtful  whether  in  any  educational 
movement  in  the  world  such  large  sums  were  raised  so 
quickly,  the  climax  coming  when,  on  an  appeal  to  the 
citizens  of  Chicago  for  money  for  the  erection  of  build- 
ings for  the  institution,  over  $1,000,000  was  secured 
within  ninety  days. 

The  institution  was  formally  opened  on  October  1, 
1892,  no  elaborate  ceremony  being  held,  but  the  routine 
work  beginning  after  a  very  simple  prayer  service, 
into  the  spirit  of  which  all  who  were  present  entered. 
A  charter  had  been  secured  from  the  legislature  ;  Pro- 
fessor William  R.  Harper,  of  Yale  University,  had  been 
elected  president,  and  a  staff  of  instructors,  gathered 
from  many  institutions  in  the  United  States  and  in  for-" 
eign  lands,  had  been  assembled.  It  would  be  uninter- 
esting to  go  into  greater  detail  in  regard  to  the  prelim- 
inary history  which  was  made  during  the  years  1888  to 
1892,  but  it  will  be  sufficient  to  note  that  when  the 
doors  opened  in  October,  1892,  500  students  were  in 
attendance,  and  an  endowment  fund  of  several  millions 
of  dollars  was  provided. 

It  might  have  been  expected  that  a  committee  of 
experienced  educators,  charged  with  the  work  of  lay- 
ing the  foundations  of  an  institution  of  learning  which 
had  no  traditions  to  curb  it  and  which  had  promise 


The  University  of  Chicago. 


621 


of  a  large  endowment,  would  study  carefully  the  exist- 
ing institutions  of  the  world,  and  seek  to  select  from 
those  elements  which  time  had  proved  to  be  valuable, 
omitting  many  things  which  had  grown  comparatively 
useless  during  the  course  of  years.  Looking  back- 
ward over  the  decade,  and  comparing  the  preliminary 
announcements  with  the  results,  it  is  astonishing  to 
note  how  carefully  the  plans  were  laid,  and  how  prac- 


GKEEN    HALL 

(Dormitory  for  Women) 


tical  experience  has  shown  the  desirability  of  what  in 
many  cases  was  set  forth  as  problematical  only. 

As  a  method  of  advertising  the  proposed  institu- 
tion, and  at  the  same  time  securing  the  criticism  of 
the  many  hundreds  of  men  and  women  in  America  who 
were  engaged  in  educational  work,  the  preliminary 
announcements  were  made  through  a  series  of  bul- 
letins; one  making  the  general  announcements,  another 


622  The  University  of  Chicago. 

describing  the  proposed  colleges  of  the  University, 
another  the  graduate  schools,  another  the  academy, 
and  others  the  divinity  school,  the  University  exten- 
sion, and  the  University  press.  The  first  of  these 
bulletins,  which  contained  the  general  announcements, 
proclaimed  that  the  University  was  to  be  carried  on 
under  three  general  divisions:  The  University  proper, 
the  University  extension  work,  and  the  University  pub- 
lication work.  The  University  proper  was  to  consist  of 
academies,  colleges,  affiliated  colleges  and  schools, 
this  latter  term  being  an  elastic  one,  providing  for 
non-professional  graduate  instruction,  as  well  as  for 
instruction  in  theology,  law,  medicine,  and  for  schools 
of  engineering,  pedagogy,  fine  arts,  music  and  other 
branches  of  culture.  The  University  extension  work 
was  to  include  regular  courses  of  lectures  given  in 
groups  of  six  or  twelve,  according  to  the  plan  which 
had  been  followed  in  England,  and  to  some  extent  in 
the  United  States ;  evening  courses,  where  small 
groups  of  people  were  to  meet  under  the  direction  of 
an  instructor,  this  work  approaching  closely  the  work 
done  in  the  daytime  on  the  University  grounds;  and  cor- 
respondence courses  where,  in  such  lines  of  investiga- 
tion as  were  suitable,  instructions  were  to  be  given 
through  the  mails  to  students  in  any  part  of  the  world. 
The  University  publication  work  was  to  include  the 
printing  and  publishing  of  all  University  announce- 
ments, and  also  the  more  dignified  work  of  publishing 
special  and  technical  periodicals  devoted  to  the  inter- 
ests of  investigation  along  the  lines  of  the  principal 
departments  of  the  University.  This  general  plan  thus 
announced  has  been  carried  out  during  the  years  of  the 
University's  history. 

The  American  educational  system  is  marked  by 
certain  familiar  characteristics,  which  do  not  need 
description,  and  perhaps  it  will  be  as  well  to  indicate 
in  what  respects  the  University  of  Chicago  differs  from 
the  type  of  the  ordinary  American  college.  The  most 


The  University  of  Chicago. 


623 


striking'  characteristic,  perhaps,  is  what  is  called  the 
quarter  system.  While  as  a  rule  the  college  year  is 
divided  into  three  terms,  familiarly  known  as  the 
autumn,  winter  and  spring"  terms,  the  summer  months 
being-  given  up  to  a  long  vacation,  in  the  case  of  the 
University  of  Chicago  it  was  decided  at  the  beginning 
that  the  year  should  be  divided  into  four  quarters, 
beginning  on  the  first  day  of  July,  October,  January 


HASKELL    ORIENTAL    MUSEUM 


and  April,  and  containing  twelve  weeks  each,  thus 
leaving  a  week  between  the  closing  of  one  quarter 
and  the  beginning  of  the  next;  and  to  meet  the  require- 
ments of  those  who  might  wish  to  attend  the  institution 
even  for  a  shorter  period,  it  was  provided  that  the 
quarter  should  be  divided  into  terms  of  six  weeks  each. 
The  reasons  for  this  change  were  obvious,  it  being 
felt  that  the  long  summer  vacation  was  entirely  dispro- 
portionate to  the  working  year,  and  that  it  was  econom- 
ically unjust  to  have  a  large  educational  plant  closed 


624  The  University  of  Chicago. 

for  a  fourth  part  of  the  time.  There  was  another  ele- 
ment which  favored  the  adoption  of  the  quarter  system, 
and  that  was  the  widening  of  opportunity  for  the  stu- 
dents, it  being"  felt  that  if  credits  in  the  institution  were 
reckoned  not  according  to  college  years,  as  under  the 
old  plan,  but  according  to  the  number  of  studies  taken, 
it  would  be  possible  for  the  student  to  attend  one  or 
two  quarters  of  the  year  and  spend  the  rest  of  the  time 
working  to  secure  means  to  pay  for  his  education.  In 
like  manner  it  would  be  possible  for  the  ambitious  and 
earnest  students  to  shorten  the  time  for  the  college 
degree,  the  minimum  of  which  under  the  old  plan  was 
four  years  ;  so  that  the  records  of  the  University  indi- 
cate that  some  students  have  been  able  to  secure  the 
bachelor's  degree  from  the  University  by  attending  ten 
consecutive  quarters,  or  two  and  one-half  calendar 
years.  While  this  latter  plan  is  never  recommended, 
and  is  exceptional,  yet  the  possibilities  are  indicated 
by  the  cases  which  have  actually  occurred. 

The  bearing  of  the  quarter  system  upon  the  mem- 
bers of  the  faculty  is  also  notable,  it  being  possible  so 
to  distribute  the  force  of  each  department  as  to  allow 
the  instructors  to  take  their  vacations  at  different  times 
of  the  year.  Under  the  old  plan  the  summer  vacation 
was  the  only  one  possible  ;  under  the  quarter  system, 
one  teacher,  who  is  interested  in  political  science,  is 
able  to  take  a  vacation  during  the  winter  time,  thus 
going  to  Washington,  to  be  present  during  the  session  of 
congress  and  to  see  the  actual  workings  of  the  govern- 
ment of  the  United  States.  Another  one  may  take  a 
vacation  during  the  winter  quarter,  owing  to  physical 
conditions,  the  climate  of  Chicago  being  too  severe  for 
him.  Or  another  one  may  make  a  special  trip  to 
Europe  during  the  spring,  to  accomplish  some  particu- 
lar end.  The  actual  service  demanded  of  an  instructor 
is  for  three  quarters  only,  but  provision  is  made  by 
which,  if  a  teacher  continues  to  give  instruction  during 
a  longer  period  than  nine  months  he  is  allowed  either 


O  O 


a  a 
so  a 


O  H 

O  O 


626  The  University  of  Chicago. 

to  receive  extra  pay  for  this  service,  thus  adding  to  the 
amount  of  his  salary,  or  to  accumulate  vacations,  which, 
under  the  proper  adjustment  in  the  department  itself, 
may  be  taken  at  a  given  time,  a  member  of  the  staff  thus 
being  able  to  spend  six  or  nine  months,  or  even  a  year 
in  special  study,  at  the  same  time  receiving  his  salary 
and  providing  for  the  expense  of  his  absence. 

There  are  certain  features  of  the  system,  however, 
which  will  appear  at  once  ;  the  most  striking  of  which 
is  the  entire  absence  of  classes.  The  familiar  terms, 
"Freshman,"  "Sophomore,"  "Junior"  and  "Senior" 
find  no  place  in  the  curriculum  of  the  University  of 
Chicago  ;  and  likewise,  when  the  names  of  the  students 
are  printed  they  are  not  published  in  class  sections,  as 
in  the  ordinary  institution.  The  result  is  that  there  is 
none  of  the  class  spirit  which  prevails  in  most  American 
colleges,  and  the  lines  which  are  drawn  there  are 
entirely  wanting.  Friendships  are  formed  on  different 
foundations,  and  since  the  inevitable  result  of  the 
quarter  system  is,  that  as  students  may  begin  at  any 
time,  they  may  finish  at  any  time,  there  are  graduating 
groups  four  times  a  year,  and  it  is  yet  a  question  what 
the  influence  of  the  lack  of  class  relationship  may  have 
upon  the  loyalty  of  the  alumni  body.  To  make  up  for  the 
lack  of  classes,  it  has  come  to  be  an  unwritten  rule  that 
students  graduating  at  either  the  October,  January, 
April  or  July  convocation  are  counted  as  members  of 
the  class  graduating  in  July. 

The  undergraduate  body  is  divided  into  two. parts, 
those  having  eighteen  credits  or  less  being  called  jun- 
ior college  students,  and  those  having  more  than 
eighteen  credits  being  called  senior  college  students. 
After  a  like  plan,  the  students  of  each  college,  junior 
or  senior,  are  grouped  into  divisions,  numbered  from 
1  to  6,  these  divisions  being  based  upon  the  amount 
of  credit  which  the  student  has  upon  the  books  of  the 
University.  These  divisions  most  nearly  approximate 
the  ordinary  college  class  lines. 


77*6"  University  of  Chicago. 


627 


The  government  of  the  University  is  in  charge  of 
the  various  bodies  whose  names  suggest  the  field  of 
their  jurisdiction.  Thus  there  are  several  faculties, 
such  as  United  Faculties,  the  Faculty  of  the  Divinity 


LOOKING   ACROSS   THE   OJUADRANGLE    OK    THE    UNIVERSITY 
OF    CHICAGO   TOWARD   GREEN    HALL 

School,  the  Faculty  of  the  Junior  Colleges,  the  Faculty 
of  the  Ogden  Graduate  School  of  Science.  There  are 
several  boards,  administrative  in  nature,  such  as  the 
Board  of  Libraries,  Laboratories  and  Museums;  the 


628  The  University  of  Chicago. 

Board  of  Student  Organizations,  Publications  and 
Exhibitions  ;  the  Board  of  Affiliations  ;  the  Board  of 
Physical  Culture  and  Athletics  (four  student  represent- 
atives being  given  seats).  Two  special  bodies  are  the 
University  Senate  and  the  University  Council,  the 
former  having  jurisdiction  in  all  matters  affecting 
the  educational  policy  of  the  institution,  the  latter 
having  the  same  relation  to  the  administrative  policy. 
Each  of  the  various  faculties  and  boards  has  a  meeting 
once  a  month.  There  is  a  special  body  called  the  Uni- 
versity Congregation,  which  promises  to  become  of 
much  power  in  the  future.  Membership  in  it  is  open 
to  all  of  the  teaching  staff  who  rank  above  associate,  to 
all  doctors  of  philosophy  of  the  University,  and  to  a  cer- 
tain number  of  alumni,  elected  each  year  by  the  mem- 
bers of  the  alumni  association.  The  Congregation 
often  has  lively  discussions,  and  frequently  recom- 
mends action  to  the  particular  faculties  concerned. 

The  members  of  the  faculty  of  the  University  are 
classed  according  to  title,  the  enrollment  under  each 
head  according  to  the  last  annual  register  being,  pro- 
fessors, 71  ;  professorial  lecturers,  16 ;  associate  or 
assistant  professors,  64  ;  instructors,  48 ;  associates, 
assistants  and  others,  87 ;  making  a  total  of  286. 

Besides  affording  opportunity  for  study  during  the 
summer  as  well  as  during  the  winter  the  University, 
by  means  of  the  University  Extension,  reaches  out  to 
thousands  in  their  homes,  who  are  unable  to  get  the 
advantages  given  students  in  residence.  This  division 
of  the  work  embraces  lecture  study  and  correspond- 
ence study.  The  first  is  carried  on  by  peripatetic 
lecturers,  who  go  from  place  to  place,  giving  lectures 
in  courses  of  six  or  twelve.  These  lectures  are  accom- 
panied by  study  features  in  the  shape  of  syllabi,  or 
outlines  printed  with  references  and  suggestive  notes, 
and  by  traveling  libraries,  or  small  collections  of  books, 
which  bear  upon  the  particular  subject  treated,  for 
unlike  the  popular  lyceum  course  of  lectures,  where 


630  The  University  of  Chicago. 

perhaps  six  different  lectures  are  given  by  as  many 
individuals,  the  University  Extension  course  comprises 
six  lectures  upon  a  particular  topic  or  division  of  study 
given  by  one  lecturer.  About  25,000  persons  avail 
themselves  of  this  opportunity  for  contact  with  the 
University  of  Chicago  each  year,  the  "  local  centers  " 
or  groups  of  students  of  this  kind  being  found  in  the 
states  of  Illinois,  Indiana,  Ohio,  Pennsylvania,  Ken- 
tucky, Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  Iowa  and 
Missouri. 

The  correspondence  study  department  carries  the 
University  into  any  part  of  the  world.  The  lecture 
study  plan  is  useful  only  where  there  is  a  sufficient 
constituency  to  warrant  the  outlay  required  for  one 
or  more  courses.  Usually  there  must  be  a  hundred 
earnest  members  of  a  circle  or  center,  to  make  both 
ends  meet.  The  correspondence  study  method  is  dis- 
tinctly individual,  and  there  are  students  enrolled  for 
such  work  in  almost  every  part  of  the  globe.  No  other 
institution  has  made  such  provision  for  students  out- 
side its  walls,  the  annual  amount  appropriated  for  this 
object  alone  being  850,000. 

A  third  form  of  University  Extension  was  that  of 
the  class  study  department,  through  which  it  was 
planned  to  give  instruction  to  small  groups  of  students 
in  Chicago,  or  its  immediate  vicinity,  who  are  unable 
to  attend  classes  on  the  University  grounds,  and  who 
were  obliged  to  find  time  for  class  work  in  the  after- 
noon and  evening  or  on  Saturdays.  This  part  of  the 
general  plan  was  carried  out  for  several  years  under 
greater  or  less  difficulties,  many  teachers  finding  in  it 
opportunity  for  needed  study.  It  was  then  merged  with 
the  work  of  the  college  for  teachers,  later  known  as 
the  University  College,  which,  upon  an  endowment 
given  by  Mrs.  Emmons  Elaine  and  in  rooms  in  the 
heart  of  the  city,  has  met  with  encouraging  success. 


The  University  of  Chicago.  631 

The  extension  of  the  University  is  to  some  extent 
advanced,  likewise,  by  what  is  known  as  affiliation. 
In  accordance  with  this  idea  various  institutions  have 
been  brought  into  close  relationship  with  the  University, 
this  relationship  carrying1  with  it  recognition  by  the 
University  of  the  work  of  the  affiliated  school,  and 
under  certain  conditions  recognition  by  University 
credits.  The  terms  of  affiliation  of  necessity  differ 
with  the  different  schools,  but  the  attempt  has  been 
made  to  secure  advantageous  results  for  both  sides, 
and  so  far  apparently  there  has  been  little  dissatisfac- 
tion with  the  plan.  At  the  present  time  the  following 
institutions  sustain  this  relationship:  Kalamazoo  Col- 
lege, Kalamazoo,  Mich. ;  Des  Moines  College,  Des 
Moines,  Iowa;  the  John  B.  Stetson  University,  De 
Land,  Fla. ;  Butler  College,  Irvington,  Ind. ;  the  Brad- 
ley Polytechnic  Institute,  Peoria,  111. ;  the  Chicago 
Manual  Training  School;  Rush  Medical  College, 
Chicago;  the  South  Side  Academy,  the  Harvard  School, 
the  Dearborn  Seminary,  the  University  School  for 
Girls  and  the  Kenwood  Institute,  the  last  six  being 
in  Chicago;  the  Rugby  School,  at  Kenilworth,  111.; 
the  Elgin  Academy,  at  Elgin,  111. ;  the  Culver  Military 
Academy,  at  Culver,  Ind. ;  the  Frances  Shiner  Academy, 
at  Mt.  Carroll,  111.,  and  Wayland  Academy,  at  Beaver 
Dam,  Wis. 

Somewhat  different  from  the  affiliated  institutions 
are  the  co-operating  schools.  In  these  the  University 
requirements  are  closely  followed,  the  examination 
papers  are  sent  to  the  University  for  reading  and  cor- 
rection, and  there  is  a  certain  degree  of  oversight 
secured  by  regular  visitation  by  detailed  officers  of 
the  University,  whose  judgment  is  supplemented  by 
that  of  some  other  member  of  the  faculty,  who  is 
assigned  to  a  particular  school  as  a  sort  of  counselor. 
About  100  schools  are  under  this  relation  of  co-opera- 
tion with  the  University. 


632  The  University  of  Chicago. 

The  attendance  of  the  students  has  steadily  in- 
creased from  the  start,  until  in  the  year  1901-1902,  4,550 
have  been  enrolled.  The  figures  are  the  more  impres- 
sive when  it  is  remembered,  that  with  the  exception  of 
the  Divinity  School,  up  to  1901  there  were  no  professional 
schools  attached  to  the  University.  A  School  of 
Law  has  been  established,  and,  in  conjunction  with 
Rush  Medical  College,  two  years  of  medical  instruc- 
tion are  offered.  When  Dental  School  and  School  of 
Pharmacy  and  Technical  School  are  added  a  much 
larger  annual  enrollment  may  be  expected. 

The  usual  student  organizations  are  found,  literary 
societies,  religious  societies  and  Greek  letter  fraterni- 
ties, the  last  class  being  represented  by  chapters  of 
Delta  Kappa  Epsilon,  Phi  Kappa  Psi,  Beta  Theta  Pi, 
Alpha  Delta  Phi,  Psi  Upsilon,  Sigma  Chi,  Phi  Delta 
Theta,  Delta  Tau  Delta,  Chi  Psi,  Delta  Upsilon,  Phi 
Gamma  Delta.  There  are  various  local  organizations 
of  a  more  or  less  ephemeral  nature.  There  is  a  credit- 
able daily  student  paper,  a  literary  monthly  published 
by  students,  and  an  annual  publication  largely  given 
up  to  student  life. 

The  story  of  the  material  development  of  the 
University  is  one  of  extraordinary  growth,  namely: 
From  702  students  in  1892-3  to  4,550  in  1901-2;  from 
$1,539,561.76  of  invested  funds  in  1892-3  to  $9,165,126.14 
in  1901-2;  from  $1,618,778.66  in  buildings,  grounds  and 
equipment  in  1892-3  to  86,000,000  in  1902,  with  a  total 
property  of  $15,128,375.95;  from  135  officers  of  instruc- 
tion in  1892-3  to  323  in  1901-2;  from  a  budget  of 
$109,496.68  for  current  expenses  in  1892-3  to  one  of 
$944,348.26  in  1901-2. 

This  material  development  has  been  made  possible 
by  generous  gifts,  many  of  them  made  by  citizens  of 
Chicago.  The  principal  benefactor  has  been  Mr.  John 
D.  Rockefeller,  of  New  York  city,  who  has  contributed 
to  the  University  over  $10,000,000.  Of  the  many  other 
large  givers,  special  mention  should  be  made  of  Miss 


The  University  of  Chicago.  633 

Helen  Culver,  who  contributed  $1,000,000  to  the 
increase  and  spread  of  knowledge  of  -the  biological 
sciences  ;  Mrs.  Emmons  Blaine,  who  has  given  over 
$1,000,000  to  establishing  the  School  of  Education, 
designed  to  increase  the  opportunity  for  the  improved 
education  of  teachers  ;  Mr.  Martin  A.  Ryerson,  who 
built  the  Ryerson  Physical  Laboratory  in  memory  of 
his  father,  and  gave  other  large  sums  to  the  equipment ; 
Mr.  Sydney  A.  Kent,  who  built  the  Kent  Chemical 
Laboratory ;  Mr.  Charles  T.  Yerkes,  who  provided  for 
the  University  the  largest  telescope  in  the  world,  and 
gave  generously  to  the  equipment  of  the  observatory 
belonging  to  the  University,  situated  at  Lake  Geneva, 
Wis.,  and  which  bears  the  name  of  its  principal  bene- 
factor ;  Mr.  Marshall  Field,  who  gave  largely  to  the 
general  funds  of  the  University  ;  Mr.  Silas  B.  Cobb. 
who  erected  the  building  which  bears  his  name  ;  Mr. 
George  C.  Walker,  the  donor  of  the  Walker  Museum 
and  otherwise  a  generous  giver  to  the  University  ; 
Mrs.  Charles  Hitchcock,  who  erected  a  dormitory  for 
boys  in  memory  of  her  husband,  the  late  Charles  N. 
Hitchcock  ;  Mrs.  Caroline  E.  Haskell,  who  erected  a 
building  and  endowed  a  lectureship  in  memory  of  her 
husband,  the  late  Mr.  Frederick  Haskell ;  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth G.  Kelly,  who  built  Kelly  and  Green  halls  for 
women  ;  Mrs.  Mary  Beecher,  Mrs.  Henrietta  Snell  and 
Mrs.  Nancy  S.  Foster,  who  contributed  the  funds  for 
the  buildings  which  bear  their  names  ;  Mr.  Adolphus  C. 
Bartlett,  who  furnished  the  Bartlett  Gymnasium  in 
memory  of  his  son,  Frank  Dickinson  Bartlett ;  Mr. 
Leon  Mandel,  who  erected  an  assembly  hall  ;  Mr. 
John  J.  Mitchell  and  Mr.  Chas.  L.  Hutchinson.  An 
especially  notable  gift  was  that  of  the  executors  and 
trustees  of  the  estate  of  Mr.  William  B.  Ogden,  the 
first  mayor  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  which  has  so  far 
realized  over  $325,000,  in  recognition  of  which  gift  the 
trustees  established  the  Ogden  Graduate  School  of 

(6) 


634  The  University  of  Chicago. 

Science.  In  addition  to  these  large  gifts,  the  Univer- 
sity has  received  evidence  of  the  friendship  of  very 
many  citizens  of  Chicago  and  vicinity,  who  have  given 
smaller  amounts  to  the  advancement  of  its  work. 
There  has  not  been  a  day  since  the  opening  of  the 
doors  of  the  institution  in  October,  1892,  when  there 
has  not  been,  to  the  observer,  positive  evidence  of 
growth.  Many  features  of  the  University  are  still  in 
the  process  of  organization  ;  changes  are  taking  place 
rapidly  and  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  the 
unexampled  development  of  the  ten  years  of  the  life  of 
the  institution  will  be  continued  in  even  more  remark- 
able ways  in  the  decade  to  come. 

The  total  gifts  to  the  University  during  the  years 
1892-1902  have  aggregated  more  than  $18,000,000. 

FRANCIS  W.  SHEPARDSON. 


A   HISTORICAL   SKETCH   OF   NORTHWESTERN 
UNIVERSITY. 

It  is  not  an  easy  task  to  write  the  story  of  an  edu- 
cational corporation  that  has  grown  for  over  fifty 
years  as  an  oak  grows.  Much  of  the  detail  of  its  his- 
tory must  necessarily  seem  trivial  to  those  who  have 
not  shared  the  opportunities  of  education  which  it 
afforded,  or  to  those  who  do  not  appreciate  how  the 
intellectual,  moral  and  physical  standards  of  men  are 
raised,  how  learning  is  fostered,  philanthropy  is  incul- 
cated, and  civic  virtue  is  stimulated  by  the  association 
of  men  and  women  in  university  life,  to  which  the 
university  corporation  ministers,  with  its  trustees,  its 
endowments,  its  teachers,  its  buildings,  its  books,  its 
museums,  its  illustrative  appliances,  and,  best  of  all, 
by  its  products  of  educated  men  and  women. 

It  was  on  May  31,  1850,  that  the  dingy  law  office 
of  Grant  Goodrich,  over  the  hardware  store  of  J.  K. 
Botsford  on  Lake  street  near  La  Salle  street,  Chicago, 
was  the  scene  of  the  gathering  of  a  devoted  company 
of  men  "for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  University 
in  Chicago  under  the  patronage  and  government  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. ' '  There  were  present  on 
that  occasion  Rev.  Richard  Haney,  Rev.  R.  H.  Blanch- 
ard,  Rev.  Zadok  Hall,  Grant  Goodrich,  Andrew  J. 
Brown,  John  Evans,  Orrington  Lunt,  Jabez  K.  Bots- 
ford and  Henry  W.  Clark — three  ministers  of  the  Gos- 
pel, three  attorneys,  two  merchants  and  one  physician. 
There  was,  at  that  time,  no  institution  of  collegiate 
rank  nearer  than  Galesburg,  111.,  the  seat  of  Knox 

(635) 


636  Northwestern  University. 

College.  The  only  other  college  in  the  state  was 
Illinois  College  at  Jacksonville.  It  would  be  inter- 
esting to  know  the  discussions  that  took  place  in  the 
law  office  on  Lake  street;  but  whatever  they  may 
have  been,  they  took  the  form  of  preamble  and  reso- 
lutions, ' '  WHEREAS,  The  interests  of  sanctified 
learning  require  the  immediate  establishment  of  a 
university,  in  the  northwest,  under  the  patronage  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church;  Resolved,  1.  That  a 
committee  be  appointed  to  secure  a  charter.  2.  That 
a  committee  be  appointed  to  secure  the  co-operation  of 
contiguous  conferences  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  3.  That  a  committee  be  appointed  to  see 
what  amount  of  funds  can  be  secured  for  the  erection  of 
buildings  and  endowment  of  said  institution."  After 
the  lapse  of  three  weeks  of  activity  the  draft  of  a 
charter  was  reported  for  submission  to  the  state  assem- 
bly. The  corporation  was  styled,  "The  Trustees  of 
Northwestern  University,"  and  the  charter,  as  drafted 
and  submitted,  received  the  endorsement  of  the  state 
legislature,  and  was  duly  signed  and  sealed  by  the 
officers  of  the  state,  January  28,  1851.  It  appointed 
A.  S.  Sherman,  Grant  Goodrich,  Orrington  Lunt,  John 
Evans,  J.  K.  Botsford.  Joseph  Kettlestring,  George  F. 
Foster,  Eri  Reynolds,  John  M.  Arnold,  Absalom  Funk 
and  E.  B.  Kingsley  its  first  board  of  trustees,  together 
with  sundry  members  of  Rock  River,  Wisconsin,  North- 
ern Indiana,  Iowa  and  Michigan  annual  conferences  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  The  region  repre- 
sented by  the  bounds  of  these  conferences  was  the  then 
northwest,  and  to  it  they  proposed  to  minister  in 
higher  education. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  corporation,  for  purposes 
of  organization,  took  place  on  June  14,  1851,  and  their 
first  formal  action  was  the  election  of  Dr.  N.  S.  Davis 
as  trustee  to  succeed  Eri  Reynolds,  one  of  the  charter 
members  who  had  died.  They  accepted  the  act  of  the 
legislature,  divided  their  members  into  classes,  and 


EDMUND_JANES   JAMES 


638  Noi'thwestern  University. 

adopted  a  plan  of  operations  looking-  to  the  establish- 
ment of  the  college  of  liberal  arts,  with  a  president, 
who  should  be  professor  of  moral  and  intellectual 
philosophy,  a  professor  of  mathematics,  one  of  natural 
sciences  and  one  of  ancient  and  modern  languages.  A 
preparatory  school  was  likewise  contemplated  in  the 
city  of  Chicago,  and  steps  were  taken  to  raise  the 
money  for  this  purpose  and  to  secure  a  site,  $25,000 
being  the  amount  in  mind  for  this  latter  purpose. 
It  was  firmly  resolved,  "That  no  debts  should  be  con- 
tracted or  money  expended  without  the  means  be  first 
provided,"  and  congress  was  to  be  memorialized  for  a 
grant  of  lands  to  Northwestern  University.  Nothing 
ever  resulted  from  this  memorial.  But  the  new  trust- 
ees were  not  idle  in  other  directions.  They  organized 
by  the  election  of  John  Evans,  M.  D.,  as  president, 
A.  S.  Sherman  as  vice-president,  Andrew  J.  Brown  as 
secretary,  and  J.  K.  Botsford  as  treasurer.  These, 
with  Grant  Goodrich,  Dr.  N.  S.  Davis  and  George  F. 
Foster,  constituted  the  executive  committee  of  the 
board.  The  committee  on  site  for  the  preparatory 
school  reported  August  1,  1851,  recommending  the 
purchase  of  the  property  of  the  Universalist  church  in 
Chicago  with  a  frontage  of  eighty  feet  immediately 
east  of  the  Clark  Street  M.  E.  church  on  Washington 
street,  at  a  price  of  $4,000,  one-half  cash  and  the  bal- 
ance in  three  years  at  6  per  cent  interest.  On  August 
28  they  raised  their  bid  on  this  property  to  $4,800,  and 
started  a  subscription  for  the  purpose  of  securing  the 
funds.  Evidently  there  was  a  hitch  in  the  negotia- 
tions, for  they  appointed  Dr.  Evans  and  Orrington 
Lunt  to  view  other  lots  for  the  same  purpose.  That 
committee  turned  aside  from  the  Universalist  church 
property,  and  recommended  the  purchase  of  a  lot  about 
200  feet  square  at  the  corner  of  La  Salle  and  Jackson 
streets  from  P.  F.  W.  Peck.  This  situation  was  a 
little  remote;  but  being  larger,  it  was  deemed  more 
desirable,  and  the  purchase  was  consummated  at  a  cost 


North  western  University. 


639 


of  $9,000.  On  September  22,  1852,  the  erection  of  a 
building-  upon  the  property  was  authorized,  to  accom- 
modate 300  students;  and  on  the  same  date  a  committee 
was  appointed,  consisting  of  S.  P.  Keyes,  N.  S.  Davis 
and  Orrington  Lunt,  to  recommend  a  site  for  a  colle- 


ROBERT  D.  SHEPPARD 

giate  department  of  the  University.  The  ambition  and 
scope  of  these  early  founders  is  seen  in  a  series  of 
resolutions  adopted  at  this  meeting,  appealing-  to  the 
Methodist  people  of  the  northwest  not  to  multiply 
higher  institutions  of  learning,  but  to  concentrate 


640  Northwestern  University. 

their  effort  upon  a  single  institution,  viz.,  the  North- 
western University,  and  to  make  it  a  university  of  the 
highest  order  of  excellence,  complete  in  all  its  parts; 
and  further,  they  asked  from  the  legislature  power  to 
establish  preparatory  schools  in  different  sections  of 
the  northwest,  and  to  affiliate  preparatory  institutions 
already  in  existence.  In  October  Rev.  Philo  Judson 
was  employed  to  solicit  subscriptions,  and  plans  were 
directed  to  be  drawn  for  the  site  on  La  Salle  street. 

Evidently  the  committee  on  site  for  the  collegiate 
department  had  been  stirring,  for,  as  an  outcome  of 
the  report  of  that  committee,  it  was  decided  to  be  in- 
expedient to  erect  a  preparatory  department  in  the 
city  of  Chicago  at  the  present  time;  the  site,  however, 
was  good  enough  to  keep,  and  in  the  years  to  come,  as 
the  site  of  the  Illinois  Trust  and  Savings  Bank,  would 
furnish  valuable  endowment  for  the  fledgling  college. 

They  likewise  decided  to  elect  a  president  of  the 
institution  at  once,  whose  first  duty  should  be  to  procure 
subscriptions  and  a  plan  for  the  establishment  of  an 
endowment  for  the  University.  At  the  meeting  of  June 
23,  1853,  Dr.  Clark  T.  Hinman  was  unanimously  elected 
the  first  president  of  the  University,  a  man  of  zeal  and 
tact,  who  was  well  nigh  irresistible  in  his  appeals  to 
men  to  help.  The  scheme  of  raising  money  by  the 
sale  of  scholarships  was  now  devised.  Perpetual  schol- 
arships, which  were  to  entitle  the  purchaser,  his  son  or 
grandson,  to  tuition,  were  sold  for  $100  each.  Trans- 
ferable scholarships  were  sold  for  $100,  entitling  the 
holder  to  $500  in  tuition;  and  for  $50,  entitling  the 
holder  to  $200  in  tuition.  One-half  of  the  funds  from 
these  sales  was  to  be  used  for  purposes  of  instruction, 
and  the  other  half  for  the  purchase  of  lands,  not  to 
exceed  1,200  acres,  as  a  site  for  the  University,  and 
the  erection  of  buildings.  They  had  great  faith  in  the 
marketable  quality  of  these  scholarships,  and  that  faith 
was  justified  when  Dr.  Hinman  loaded  his  traveling 


Northwestern  University.  641 

bag  with  them  and.  worked  them  off  in  the  most  aston- 
ishing manner  upon  all  sorts  of  men  in  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago and  the  country  round  about.  In  the  short  period 
of  his  service  he  disposed  of  $64,600  worth  of  them, 
while  others,  under  the  stimulus  of  his  activity,  sold 


HENRY   WADE    ROGERS 

$37,000  worth.  Meanwhile  the  committee  on  site  re- 
ported, recommending  the  purchase  of  380  acres  of 
land  from  John  H.  Foster,  eleven  miles  north  of  the 
Chicago  court  house,  on  the  lake  shore,  for  $25,000, 
$1,000  to  be  paid  down  and  the  balance  in  ten  years,  at 


642  Northwestern  University. 

6  per  cent  per  annum  interest.  The  proposition  was 
accepted  and  the  sale  consummated.  This  was  in 
August,  1853.  In  October  they  offered  thirteen  acres 
of  their  purchase  for  sale  at  $200  per  acre,  an  advance 
of  300  per  cent.  February  3,  1854,  they  named  the  site 
of  the  University  "Evanston,"  in  honor  of  their  presi- 
dent, Dr.  John  Evans,  and  proceeded  to  plat  the  town 
and  offer  lots  for  sale. 

Garrett  Biblical  Institute  had  been  founded  by  the 
munificence  of  Eliza  Garrett,  for  ministerial  education, 
and  to  this  institution  they  offered  a  site  at  a  nominal 
rent.  This  was  in  February,  1854.  The  offer"  was 
accepted  and  an  institution  established  on  the  campus 
of  the  University  that  was  destined  to  make  splendid 
history  in  theological  education.  Streets  were  graded; 
right  of  way  was  given  to  the  Lake  Shore  Railroad  Co. , 
and  an  acre  of  land,  on  condition  that  no  intoxicating 
liquor  should  be  sold  thereon.  The  Billings  farm,  con- 
tiguous to  their  first  purchase,  consisting  of  twenty- 
eight  acres,  was  bought  for  $3,000.  Things  were  look- 
ing very  hopeful,  and  in  November,  1854,  Abel  Stevens, 
W.  D.  Godman  and  Henry  S.  Noyes  were  elected  pro- 
fessors. The  treasurer  made  his  report  June  21,.  1854. 
The  assets  of  the  University,  in  land  and  notes  and 
subscriptions,  were  estimated  at  $281,915,  with  liabil- 
ities of  $32,255.04.  The  Foster  purchase  had  increased 
in  value  from  $25,000  to  $102,000,  the  Billings  farm 
from  $3,000  to  $4,200,  and  the  Peck  purchase  from 
$9,000  to  $43,400. 

The  hopeful  feeling  and  aggressive  spirit  of  the 
founders  of  the  institution  was  evidenced  in  a  report 
made  to  the  trustees  June  21,  1854,  wherein  they  offered 
devout  praise  to  God  and  their  sincere  thanks  to  the 
founders  of  education  for  the  present  financial  success 
and  the  future  prospects  of  the  University.  They  de- 
scribed the  location  at  Evanston  in  glowing  terms  as 
"situated  on  the  Chicago  &  Milwaukee  Railroad,  on 
the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  eleven  miles  north  of  the 


Northwestern  University. 


643 


city  of  Chicago,  extending-  nearly  two  miles  on  the 
shore,  more  than  one-half  of  it  covered  with  a  young 
and  thrifty  forest  in  its  natural  state,  affording  the 
lovers  of  good  taste  every  facility  desirable  for  the 
most  lovely  residence  in  the  country,  a  town  has  been 
laid  out  and  named  '  Evanston. '  The  University  build- 
ings will  occupy  the  latitudinal  center  of  the  town  and 
the  highest  point,  covered  with  a  beautiful  grove  and 
inclining  at  an  angle  of  some  thirty  degrees  toward  the 


n  «• 

«   *     '         it  ..  . 


DEARBORN    OBSERVATORY 


lake  shore."  They  state  that  "the  motives  in  select- 
ing the  University  site  and  in  establishing  the  institu- 
tion have  not  been  characterized  by  local  prejudice  nor 
a  spirit  of  opposition  to  kindred  institutions,  but  a  de- 
sire to  meet  adequately  the  growing  want  in  the  north- 
west for  a  university  of  the  highest  grade,  adapted  to 
the  country,  to  its  increasing  prosperity  and  the  ad- 
vanced state  of  learning  in  the  present  age.  Its  loca- 
tion makes  it  central  for  the  entire  northwest,  and  the 


644  Northiuestern  University. 

magnitude  of  the  enterprise,  by  developing"  the  educa- 
tional resources  of  the  country  on  a  large  scale,  and  by 
stimulating  a  spirit  of  honorable  and  generous  rivalry, 
will  benefit  institutions  of  every  grade  and  promote 
the  cause  of  education  generally  to  an  incalculable 
degree.  We  very  frankly,  yet  we  hope  not  ostenta- 
tiously, aver  our  design  of  making  an  institution  second 
to  none  and  worthy  of  the  country  in  which  it  is  located, 
and  its  name  '  Northwestern  University. ' 

They  then  outlined  their  plan  of  college  work. 
They  stated  boldly  that  they  proposed  to  care  for  grad- 
uate instruction.  While  Rush  Medical  College  was 
adequately  doing  the  work  of  medical  instruction,  they 
declined,  for  the  present,  to  enter  that  field.  They  pro- 
posed, however,  at  no  distant  day,  to  organize  a  de- 
partment of  law,  but  immediate  attention  was  proposed 
to  a  classical  course  of  instruction  in  the  college  of 
liberal  arts,  a  scientific  course  and  an  elective  course. 
Fourteen  departments,  with  a  professor  at  the  head 
of  each,  were  promised,  four  of  which  were  immedi- 
ately filled,  with  the  hope  of  filling  the  remainder  at 
the  next  annual  meeting  in  March,  1855. 

When  the  board  met  in  March,  1855,  Dr.  Hinman 
was  no  longer  with  them.  That  eager  spirit  had  suc- 
cumbed to  the  burden  of  his  labors.  He  had  undertaken 
to  increase  the  endowment  from  scholarships  to  $25,000, 
and  to  secure  $100,000  for  the  erection  of  buildings, 
including  an  astronomical  observatory,  a  library,  cabi- 
net, apparatus  and  other  university  fixtures.  There  is 
every  probability  that,  with  his  rare  faculty  for  reach- 
ing men,  with  his  enthusiasm  and  tireless  labor,  he 
would  have  accomplished  even  more  than  he  had  under- 
taken; but  his  work  ended  all  too  soon,  and,  conscious 
of  a  great  loss,  the  trustees  met  on  March  15,  1855,  to 
attempt  to  fill  his  place.  At  this  session  of  the  board 
the  liberal  policy  of  the  institution  was  signalized 
by  the  grant  of  a  large  lot  for  the  Evanston  public 
schools.  They  had  previously,  in  platting  the  town,  set 


Northwestern  University. 


645 


aside  a  number  of  parks  for  public  use,  together  with 
the  lake  shore  front  from  Davis  street  to  University 
place,  and,  from  time  to  time,  without  regard  to  sec- 
tarian lines,  granted  building  sites  for  various  churches. 
In  June,  1855,  it  was  decided  that  the  formal  open- 
ing of  the  University  should  take  place  at  Evanston  on 
November  1  of  the  same  year,  a  building  having  been 
erected  on  Davis  street  near  Chicago  avenue,  of  suffi- 
cient capacity  to  contain  rooms  for  six  professors,  a 
chapel,  a  small  museum  and  halls  for  two  literary  socie- 


FAYERWEATHER    HALL   OF    SCIENCE 


ties,  with  two  rooms  in  the  attic  where,  on  a  little  oat- 
meal, a  few  aspiring  students  might  board  themselves, 
and  compensate  the  University  for  their  rent  by  ring- 
ing the  college  bell. 

The  liberal  spirit  of  the  institution  was  further 
evidenced  at  this  meeting  by  the  adoption  of  the  report 
from  the  committee  on  professorships,  declaring  that 
in  the  election  of  professors  in  Northwestern  Univer- 
sity the  board  of  trustees  would  have  reference  to 


646  Northwestern  University. 

character  and  qualifications  alone;  that  is  to  say,  that  a 
professor  need  not  necessarily  be  a  Methodist.  It  was 
at  this  meeting  that  an  amendment  to  their  charter 
made  by  the  last  session  of  the  legislature  was  ac- 
cepted, two  items  of  which  are  of  especial  interest. 
One  section  of  the  amendment  provided  that  no  spirit- 
uous, vinous  or  fermented  liquors  should  be  sold  under 
license  or  otherwise  within  four  miles  of  the  location 
of  said  University,  except  for  medicinal,  mechanical  or 
sacramental  purposes,  under  a  penalty  of  $25  for  each 
offense,  to  be  recovered  before  any  justice  of  the  peace 
in  the  county  of  Cook.  Section  4  of  the  amendment 
conceded  the  value  of  such  an  institution  as  North- 
western University  to  the  commonwealth,  and  ordained 
that,  "All  property,  of  whatever  kind  or  description, 
belonging  to  or  owned  by  said  corporation  shall  be  for- 
ever free  from  taxation  for  any  and  all  purposes. ' ' 

On  June  15,  1855,  Dr.  J.  V.  Z.  Blaney  was  elected 
to  the  chair  of  chemistry. 

It  was  now  apparent  that  it  would  be  difficult  to 
hold  the  entire  territory  of  the  northwest  to  the  policy 
of  a  single  institution,  for  the  trustees  were  requested 
to  permit  canceling  of  notes  taken  in  Iowa  for  the  sale 
of  scholarships,  or  to  allow  the  notes  and  subscriptions 
to  be  transferred  to  the  Iowa  Wesleyan  University. 
The  request  was  not  granted,  but  the  tendency  was 
noted  for  regions  within  their  chosen  district  to  localize 
in  the  matter  of  education. 

In  July,  1855,  a  movement  was  started  by  Dr.  Evans, 
seeking  to  fasten  upon  the  University  the  policy  of 
withholding  its  property  from  sale,  and  exclusively  re- 
serving it  for  purposes  of  lease.  That  far-sighted  man 
saw  clearly  the  value  of  the  property  for  purposes  of 
endowment,  but  overlooked  the  practical  difficulty  of 
prosperously  maintaining  a  large  body  of  land  within 
a  municipal  corporation  on  such  a  basis.  That  resolu- 
tion, with  the  usual  sagacity  of  the  trustees,  was  laid 
upon  the  table. 


Northwestern  University. 


647 


A  temporary  frame  building-  had  been  constructed 
on  Davis  street,  corner  of  Chicago  avenue,  for  the  loca- 
tion of  the  infant  college.  There  the  trustees  met  in 
1856.  A  college  year  had  passed,  with  two  instructors, 
compensated  at  $1,500  each  per  annum;  an  agent  had 
been  busy  in  the  sale  of  lots  and  scholarships;  a  presi- 
dent was  needed,  and  Rev.  R.  S.  Foster,  D.  D.,  was 
elected  at  a  salary  of  $2,000  per  annum.  Among  the 
trustees  elected  that  year  appears  the  name  of  William 
B.  Ogden,  and  among  the  professors  elected  was  Daniel 


A   VIEW    OF    THE    CAMPUS 


Bonbright,  as  professor  of  Latin,  then  a  young  man 
acting  as  tutor  in  Yale  College.  A  seal  was  now  re- 
quired in  connection  with  the  execution  of  documents 
of  the  corporation,  and  a  design  was  chosen  consisting 
of  an  open  book  with  radiating  rays  of  light,  encircled 
by  the  words,  ' '  Northwestern  University. ' ' 

Tentative  steps  were  taken  in  1856  to  carry  out  the 
university  idea  by  uniting  Garrett  Biblical  Institute 
and  Rush  Medical  College  with  the  University,  for  the 
purpose  of  conferring  degrees.  The  Northwestern 


648  Northwestern  University. 

Female  College  had  been  founded  in  Evanston  by  W.  P. 
Jones,  and  the  similarity  of  name  gave  great  umbrage 
to  the  trustees  of  the  Northwestern  University.  A 
committee  was  appointed,  requesting  a  change  of  name 
of  the  Female  College,  with  threats  of  prosecution,  but 
the  Northwestern  Female  College  lived  on  unmoved 
until,  at  a  later  date,  it  became  the  Evanston  College 
for  Ladies,  and  was  finally  absorbed  by  the  University. 

Dr.  Foster,  the  president-elect,  appeared  before  the 
trustees  in  July,  1856,  and  addressed  them  earnestly 
concerning  the  prospects  of  the  institution.  He  evi- 
dently impressed  upon  them  the  necessity  of  college 
buildings  and  of  a  library,  for  they  immediately  resolved 
to  prepare  plans  for  permanent  buildings,  and  to  devote 
the  salary  of  the  president,  for  the  coming  year,  to  the 
enrichment  of  the  library,  he  being  permitted  to  con- 
tinue in  the  service  of  Trinity  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  New  York,  until  May,  1857. 

The  session  of  the  trustees  for  1857  gives  out  no 
sign  of  the  embarrassment  that  was  prevailing  in  the 
business  world.  They  talked  of  starting  a  law  school. 
They  made  preparations  for  a  chair  of  natural  science. 
They  took  steps  to  put  the  preparatory  school  in  oper- 
ation, and  devoted  $1,000  to  the  purchase  of  philosoph- 
ical apparatus.  The  excess  of  assets  over  liabilities 
was  reported  as  $315,845.30 — the  results  of  the  labors 
of  four  years  of  the  corporate  life  of  the  University. 
The  library  had  now  grown  to  over  2,000  volumes.  The 
museum  had  been  started  by  the  labors  of  Robert  Ken- 
nicott,  a  young  naturalist  of  national  reputation,  and 
the  Smithsonian  Institute  agreed  to  make  it  a  deposi- 
tory of  surplus  specimens  for  the  northwest.  In  1859  a 
collection  of  Roman  coins  was  presented  to  the  Uni- 
versity by  Charles  Cookson. 

In  the  same  year  Henry  S.  Noyes,  in  addition  to 
his  duties  as  professor,  was  appointed  agent  of  the 
University,  to  succeed  Philo  Judson.  He  had  pre- 
viously been  employed  to  collect  incidental  fees  in 


North  western  University. 


649 


college,  and  now,  in  the  most  painstaking  way,  he  was 
to  carry  a  burden  of  affairs  of  property  and  business 
detail  that  was  to  be  of  invaluable  use  to  the  institution. 

The  law  school  began  to  materialize  in  April,  1859, 
by  the  election  of  Hon.  W.  B.  Scates  and  Henry  G. 
Miller  as  professors  of  law.  In  June,  1859,  on  recom- 
mendation of  the  faculty,  the  degree  of  bachelor  of 
arts  was  conferred  upon  Thos.  E.  Annis,  Winchester  E. 
Clifford,  Samuel  L.  Eastman  and  E.  I.  Searls,  and  the 
degree  of  bachelor  of  philosophy  on  Henry  M.  Kidder. 


ORRINGTON    LUNT   LIBRARY 


These  were  to  be  the  advance  guard  of  the  army  of 
Northwestern  graduates. 

To  stimulate  the  building  of  permanent  buildings, 
Bishops  Ames  and  Simpson  made  a  proposition  to 
donate  $2,000  of  a  proposed  $30,000  for  that  purpose. 
In  1858  John  Evans  followed  with  an  offer  of  $10,000, 
and  Philo  Judson  with  $1,000.  The  terms  of  the  offer 
were  not  met  in  time,  and  the  subscriptions  lapsed. 

In  1859  Dr.  Foster's  library  of  675  volumes  was 
added  to  the  University  collection. 

(7) 


650  Northwestern  University. 

In  1860  A.  C.  Linn,  W.  A.  Lord,  H.  A.  Plimpton,  E. 
Q.  Searles,  W.  C.  Spaulding,  F.  A.  Springer  and  H.  L. 
Stewart  received  the  degree  of  A.B.,  and  W.  H.  H. 
Rawleigh  the  degree  of  Ph.B.,  and  owing  to  the  res- 
ignation of  Dr.  R.  S.  Foster,  Prof.  H.  S.  Noyes  was 
elected  vice-president  and  Dr.  E.  O.  Haven  was  elected 
president,  but  declined  to  accept.  Warren  Taplin  was 
appointed,  in  1860,  the  first  principal  of  the  Academy. 
Prof.  Godman  resigned,  on  account  of  ill  health,  from 
the  chair  of  Greek  during  the  same  year.  In  1860  the 
trustees  took  steps  to  liquidate  the  debt  contracted  in 
the  purchase  of  the  site  of  Evanston  and  other  indebt- 
edness, by  setting  apart  $37,949.16  of  securities  there- 
for in  the  hands  of  J.  G.  Hamilton,  trustee. 

The  existence  of  the  war  of  the  rebellion  was  re- 
flected in  1862  by  the  resignation  of  Dr.  J.  V.  Z.  Blaney, 
to  enter  the  army.  He  was  dismissed  with  regret,  and 
from  time  to  time  numbers  of  the  students  followed  into 
the  service  of  the  Union,  among  them  Prof.  Linn, 
Plimpton,  Mac  Caskey,  Spencer,  Haney  and  the  Stro- 
bridges,  the  nucleus  of  a  company  with  University 
officers,  which  was  organized  and  marched  away  to  the 
music  of  the  fife  and  drum,  seriously  thinning  the  ranks 
of  the  students. 

In  1862  Rev.  N.  H.  Axtell  appears  as  principal  of 
the  preparatory  school,  and  the  same  year  the  honored 
name  of  Dr.  Oliver  Marcy  appears  as  professor  of  natu- 
ral science.  During  this  same  year  the  trustees  are  in 
negotiations  for  the  contribution  of  the  site  of  a  Bap- 
tist church  building;  indeed,  all  along,  up  to  quite  a  late 
period,  they  practiced  the  policy  of  donating  church 
sites  and  sites  for  public  schools. 

In  1863  authority  was  given  to  locate  the  Garrett 
Biblical  Institute  on  the  campus  of  the  University,  but 
it  was  not  until  1866,  or  thereabouts,  that  the  final  ad- 
justment of  property  relations  was  made  with  the  In- 
stitute, whereby,  on  payment  of  a  nominal  amount  per 
annum,  the  Institute  was  permitted  the  use. of  valuable 
grounds  for  its  buildings. 


Northwestern  University.  651 

In  November,  1863,  J.  G.  Hamilton  announced  that 
the  trust  had  been  accomplished  and  the  University 
was  free  from  debt.  From  this  time  onward  earnest 
efforts  were  concentrated  upon  the  need  for  University 
buildings.  At  almost  every  meeting1  of  the  board  the 
matter  was  earnestly  discussed.  A  permanent  plan  for 
arranging  the  buildings  on  the  campus  was  devised  in 
1864,  and  the  services  of  the  eloquent  Dr.  O.  H.  Tiffany 
were  secured,  temporarily,  in  that  year  in  the  role  of 
financial  agent  to  secure  funds  for  the  University 
buildings. 

In  1865  the  name  of  Prof.  Louis  Kistler  appears  as 
professor  of  Greek,  the  appointment  being  a  temporary 
one;  it  was  made  more  permanent  in  the  following 
year.  The  growing  need  for  boarding  accommodations 
for  the  students  was  earnestly  pressed,  which  resulted 
in  erecting  a  building  called  the  club  house,  now 
located  on  Orrington  •  avenue,  near  Clark  street — the 
University's  first  experiment  in  dormitories. 

An  appropriation  was  made  during  this  year  of 
$25,000,  from  the  productive  funds  of  the  institution, 
for  the  erection  of  a  main  University  building  or  what 
is  now  known  as  University  hall.  The  cost  of  this 
building  was  to  approximate  $100,000.  Dr.  Tiffany's 
labors  did  not  result  very  successfully  in  securing  f unds^ 
and  Dr.  S.  A.  W.  Jewett  was  now  tried  in  the  work  of 
a  financial  agent,  to  see  if  funds  could  not  be  secured 
for  the  much  needed  building. 

It  was  at  this  point  that  Orrington  Lunt,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1865,  donated  a  tract  of  157  acres  in  George 
Smith's  subdivision,  adjoining  Wilmette,  which  was 
later  applied  to  the  library  endowment.  The  condi- 
tions of  this  donation  involved  a  few  financial  obliga- 
tions on  the  part  of  the  University,  but  they  were 
gladly  met  in  view  of  the  prospective  value  of  this  en- 
dowment. 


652  Northwestern  University. 

Plans  for  a  University  hall  were  adopted  in  Sep- 
tember, 1865,  G.  P.  Randall  being  the  selected  archi- 
tect. The  noble  pile  that  now  dominates  the  campus 
attests  the  good  taste  with  which  this  first  important 
building  of  the  University  was  designed. 

The  items  of  trustee  business  are  somewhat  dreary 
reading;  made  up  of  transactions  concerning  the  prop- 
erty of  the  University  or  ordinary  repairs  of  one  sort 
or  another,  the  discussing  of  the  problem  of  shore  pro- 
tection, and  devising  ways  and  means  for  the  enlarge- 
ment of  property  interests  and  the  raising  of  funds. 
But  all  this  is  of  exceeding  importance,  that  the  work 
of  the  college  may  proceed.  The  work  of  the  college 
does  go  on  during  these  years,  somewhat  impeded  by 
the  tendency  of  the  young  men  to  enlist  in  the  army 
and  serve  their  country's  cause. 

One  incident  of  1866  which  shows  how  difficult  it 
was  for  the  trustees  of  that  period  to  anticipate  the 
University's  development  was  the  deed  to  the  John 
Dempster  heirs  of  what  is  known  as  Dempster's  subdi- 
vision, which  cuts  the  University  campus  in  twain  in 
the  region  of  the  big  ditch.  This  property  has  largely 
been  re-acquired  at  considerable  advance  upon  the 
price  at  which  it  sold,  in  order  that  adequate  room  may 
be  had  for  the  development  of  the  institution. 

The  donation  to  the  Presbyterians  of  a  site  for 
their  church  followed  in  1866,  and  in  the  same  year  the 
corporate  name  of  the  University  was  changed  from 
Trustees  of  Northwestern  University  to  Northwestern 
University.  Other  names  were  suggested,  but  the 
trustees  clung  tenaciously  to  the  idea  of  a  university 
for  the  northwest.  The  treasurer's  report  for  that 
year  shows  assets  to  the  amount  of  8419,751.50,  and 
subscriptions  to  the  University  building  to  the  amount 
of  $48,000. 

The  first  honorary  degrees  given  by  the  University 
were  bestowed  in  1866,  when  George  W.  Qureau,  George 
M.  Steele  and  George  S.  Hare  were  given  the  degree 


Northwestern  University.  653 

of  Doctor  of  Divinity,  and  Randolph  S.  Foster  and 
Joseph  Cummings  were  given  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Laws. 

A  new  name  that  was  to  be  of  great  prominence 
and  usefulness  in  the  affairs  of  the  University  emerges 
in  1866,  when  David  H.  Wheeler  was  elected  professor 
of  history  and  English  literature.  In  the  same  year 
Charles  H.  Fowler  was  elected  president  of  the  Uni- 
versity, only  to  decline  the  honor  in  the  following  year, 
before  entering  upon  the  service. 

Great  impatience  was  manifested  in  1867  that  the 
University  hall  should  be  pushed  to  completion.  Mat- 
ters were  looking  much  more  hopeful.  The  income  had 
been  found  sufficient  to  warrant  the  increase  of  salaries 
of  the  professors  from  $1,500  to  $2,000,  and  within  a 
year  the  assets  of  the  institution  had  increased  over 
$40,000.  The  building  was  now  undertaken  in  a  very 
cautious  manner.  It  was  to  be  built  of  Athens  stone, 
and,  with  the  discreetness  that  always  characterized 
the  trustees,  they  proposed  to  roof  it  over  when  they 
reached  a  point  beyond  which  their  available  funds  did 
not  extend.  H.  B.  Kurd  proposed  in  this  emergency, 
and  the  proposal  was  carried,  that  the  building  be  com- 
pleted to  the  roof  and  enclosed  before  halting  in  the 
enterprise.  Their  hearts  were  stimulated  by  the  an- 
nouncement made  by  Louis  Kistler  that  one  William 
Walker,  of  Kankakee,  proposed  to  give  the  munificent 
sum  of  $30,000  to  the  University  for  this  purpose.  It 
was  a  cruel  disappointment  when  it  was  discovered  that 
Lord  Walker  had  no  foundation  for  the  various  and 
widespread  benefactions  with  which  he  had  been  cheer- 
ing the  hearts  of  the  trustees  of  various  institutions. 
The  building  of  University  hall  went  on,  however. 

T.  C.  Hoag,  whose  name  was  destined  to  be  long 
associated  with  the  business  affairs  of  the  University, 
and  to  whom  a  great  debt  of  obligation  is  due  for  his 
painstaking  and  orderly  management  of  affairs,  became 


654  Northwestern  University. 

agent  in  August,  1867.  By  June  of  that  year  $42,125  had 
been  spent  on  the  new  building,  and  in  computing  the 
assets  of  the  institution,  they  had  risen  to  $703,714.08. 

In  1867  the  Chicago  Medical  College  became  an 
integral  part  of  Northwestern  University,  and  was,  to 
some  extent,  enriched  from  the  resources  of  the  insti- 
tution. That  consummation  was  brought  about  largely 
through  the  labors  of  that  old  time  trustee,  Dr.  N.  S. 
Davis,  who  was  intimately  associated  with  medical 
education  in  Chicago. 

In  default  of  a  president,  D.  H.  Wheeler  was  made 
the  executive  officer  of  the  faculty.  Professor  Noyes 
having  resigned  the  vice-presidency  in  1867,  on  account 
of  ill  health,  that  honorable  and  hard  working  pro- 
fessor, who  had  carried  so  many  burdens,  both  of  in- 
struction and  of  financial  management,  was  compli- 
mented by  the  trustees  on  his  retirement  from  his 
position  as  vice-president;  and  the  compliment  was 
just,  but  still  a  poor  return  for  the  valuable  labors  of 
that  accomplished  and  devoted  man. 

In  1868  the  First  Congregational  church,  of  Evans- 
ton,  was  enriched  by  the  University  with  a  valuable 
building  site.  In  the  same  year  the  name  of  Robert 
M.  Cumnock  appears  as  teacher  of  elocution,  with  the 
modest  compensation  of  $3  per  week.  His  services 
proved  so  acceptable  that  he  was  paid,  the  following 
year,  $300  for  such  services  as  he  rendered  in  connec- 
tion with  the  college  students.  He  was  destined  to  be 
one  of  the  pillars  of  the  institution,  and  to  attain  to 
wide  fame,  and  bestow  great  credit  upon  the  University. 
The  names  of  Geo.  W.  Winslow  and  Robert  Baird  appear 
as  instructors  in  that  year  in  the  preparatory  school. 

In  the  year  1869  a  committee  of  citizens  interviewed 
the  trustees  on  the  subject  of  taxation,  and  were  given 
some  very  wholesome  information  by  Grant  Goodrich 
as  to  the  services  of  the  University  in  the  creation  of 
the  town,  and  the  rights  of  the  institution  under  its 
charter. 


Northwestern  University.  655 

The  lease  to  Garrett  Biblical  Institute  was  put  into 
form  in  1869,  as  it  now  exists,  and  in  that  year  the 
assets  of  the  institution  had  swelled  to  $761,066.59. 
University  Hall  was  now  well  nigh  complete,  and  the 
formal  dedication  was  designed  for  that  year.  It  was 
thought  essential  that  a  president  should  be  elected 
coincidently  with  the  erection  of  the  new  building,  and 
Erastus  O.  Haven  was  called  to  that  post,  with  a  salary 
of  $4,500  per  annum.  The  same  year  young  women 
were  admitted  to  the  college  classes;  the  medical  school 
sent  out  its  first  class  under  the  auspices  of  the  Uni- 
versity, and  the  Schultze  library,  of  20,000  rare  volumes, 
was  purchased  and  donated  by  Luther  L.  Greenleaf  to 
the  University.  The  assets  for  that  year  are  figured 
at  $779,349,  and  the  report  of  the  president  at  the  close 
of  the  first  year  of  his  service  was  full  of  encouragement 
and  promise.  The  property  on  La  Salle  street  had  been 
leased,  and  the  Pacific  Hotel  Co.  organized,  which  gave 
promise  of  a  considerable  enhancement  of  income  from 
that  old  investment  of  $9,000,  which  had  been  so  tena- 
ciously retained. 

August  23,  1872,  Dr.  Charles  H.  Fowler,  now  bishop 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  University;  a  man  of  rare  eloquence  and  a 
magnetic  leader,  who  brought  to  the  work  his  char- 
acteristic energy,  and  set  on  foot  many  schemes  for  the 
enlargement  of  the  work  of  the  University. 

In  June,  1873,  the  Evanston  College  for  Ladies  was 
absorbed  by  the  institution,  and  thereby  it  became  co- 
educational. In  the  same  year  the  University  united 
with  the  University  of  Chicago  in  the  establishment 
and  maintenance  of  a  law  school,  which  was  known  as 
the  Union  College  of  Law,  destined  to  become  the  sole 
property  of  the  University,  under  the  title  of  the  North- 
western University  Law  School,  after  the  extinction  of 
the  University  of  Chicago. 


656  Northwestern  University. 

With  the  merging1  of  the  Evanston  College  for 
Ladies,  the  name  of  Frances  E.  Willard  became  associ- 
ated with  the  University  as  professor  of  esthetics.  Dr. 
Herbert  F.  Fisk,  likewise  in  1873  became  principal  of 
the  Preparatory  School,  a  position  which  he  has  held 
with  honor  from  that  time. 

The  courses  of  the  College  of  Liberal  Arts  were 
considerably  amplified  under  the  administration  of  Dr. 
Fowler,  and  a  school  of  technology  was  planned,  which, 
later,  on  failure  of  expected  resources,  had  to  be 
abandoned. 

Dr.  Fowler  was  called,  in  1876,  to  the  editorship  of 
the  Christian  Advocate,  and  resigned  the  presidency. 
Oliver  Marcy,  professor  of  geology,  was  thereupon 
appointed  acting  president,  a  position  which  he  held 
with  credit  to  himself  and  honor  to  the  University 
until  1881. 

In  June,  1876,  the  question  of  taxation  of  the  Uni- 
versity property  was  raised,  and  was  contested  by  the 
University  in  all  the  courts  of  the  state,  adversely  to 
its  claim  of  exemption  under  its  charter.  The  question 
was  then  appealed  to  the  United  States  Supreme  Court, 
and  the  decision  of  the  state  Supreme  Court  was  re- 
versed in  the  October  term,  1878.  At  this  time  the 
total  assets  of  the  University  were  reckoned  by  the 
treasurer  at  $1,069,016. 

In  1881  Joseph  Cummings,  the  Nestor  of  educators 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  long-time  president 
of  Wesleyan  University,  was  elected  president,  and  for 
ten  years,  with  his  ripe  powers  and  judgment,  and  with 
indefatigable  zeal  and  industry,  presided  over  the  affairs 
of  the  institution,  beloved  by  the  faculty,  revered  by 
the  students,  and  acknowledged  by  all  as  an  ideal  col- 
lege president  of  the  old  school.  During  his  adminis- 
tration, namely  in  the  year  1884,  the  Illinois  School  of 
Pharmacy  became  the  property  of  the  University, 
thereafter  to  be  known  as  the  Northwestern  University 
School  of  Pharmacy,  and  the  School  of  Dentistry  was 


Northwestern  University.  657 

established.  Dearborn  Observatory,  the  gift  of  James 
B.  Hobbs,  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  825,000,  and  the 
valuable  instruments  that  were  formerly  in  the  Dear- 
born Observatory  in  Chicago  were  installed,  and  nearly 
$200,000  was  raised  to  liquidate  the  University's  indebt- 
edness. 

On  the  death  of  Dr.  Cummings,  Dr.  Marcy  was 
again  called  to  the  acting  presidency,  until  the  election 
of  Dr.  Henry  Wade  Rogers  in  September,  1890,  contin- 
uing in  that  office  for  a  period  of  ten  years,  which  were 
characterized  by  marked  development  of  the  institu- 
tion in  its  courses  of  study  and  number  of  instructors, 
in  the  acquisition  of  the  Woman's  Medical  School  and 
the  construction  of  some  important  buildings.  The 
fruitage  of  the  labors  of  the  early  founders  of  the  Uni- 
versity had  now  become  quite  manifest  in  the  enhanced 
income  of  properties  which  they  secured  with  so  much 
sacrifice  and  retained  with  such  wise  persistence. 

In  the  summer  of  1899  Dr.  Henry  Wade  Rogers  re- 
signed the  presidency  of  the  University,  and  Dr.  Daniel 
Bonbright,  professor  of  Latin,  was  elected  acting 
president,  an  office  which  he  administered  with  great 
satisfaction  to  the  trustees,  professors  and  students 
alike,  until  February,  1902,  at  which  time  Dr.  Edmund 
Janes  James  was  elected  president  of  the  institution. 
He  had  served  the  University  of  Chicago  for  a  few 
years,  in  charge  of  the  University  extension  work  of 
that  institution.  The  largest  part  of  his  career  was 
spent  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  in  connection 
with  the  department  of  economics,  where  his  enviable 
reputation  as  an  educator  and  economic  writer  was 
made.  His  election  was  hailed  with  satisfaction  by 
the  friends  of  Northwestern  University,  and  his  ad- 
ministration, most  auspiciously  begun,  gives  promise  of 
one  of  the  most  progressive  and  useful  periods  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  institution  which  he  has  been  called  to  serve. 

The  business  side  of  the  institution  has  been  cared 
for  by  such  men  as  Philo  Judson,  J.  G.  Hamilton,  W.  H. 


658  Northwestern  University. 

Lunt,  T.  C.  Hoag  and  R.  D.  Sheppard,  the  present  in- 
cumbent of  the  business  office,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
continuous  labor  of  the  devoted  men  who  have  given 
freely  of  their  time  and  best  attention  in  caring  for  the 
development  of  the  institution  and  the  guidance  of  its 
affairs  during  the  long  period  of  half  a  century  now 
closing.  From  small  beginnings  it  has  acquired,  by 
wise  management  and  by  the  timely  benefactions  of 
such  men  as  John  Evans,  Orrington  Lunt  and  William 
Deering,  and  lesser  givers,  the  property  estimated  in 
the  last  financial  report  at  $6,000,000.  It  has  minis- 
tered to  the  training  of  nearly  1,500  graduates  from  its 
College  of  Liberal  Arts,  1,844  from  its  Medical  School, 
559  from  its  Woman's  Medical  School,  1,186  from  its 
School  of  Pharmacy,  1,605  from  its  Dental  School — in 
all  over  8,000  alumni,  which  are  its  chief est  wealth; 
and  enrolled  as  students  in  its  various  halls  of  learning, 
both  on  its  campus  at  Evanston  and  in  its  schools  in 
Chicago,  are  nearly  3,000  students. 

R.  D.  SHEPPARD. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  LEWIS  INSTITUTE. 

The  Lewis  Institute  was  opened  to  the  public 
September  21,  1896.  The  institution  was  made  possi- 
ble by  the  will  of  Allen  C.  Lewis,  who  died  October  25, 
1877,  but  the  thought  and  care  of  many  others  have 
contributed  to  the  enlargement  of  the  original  bequest, 
and  to  the  success  of  the  foundation  under  it.  Much 
credit  is  due  the  trustees  by  whom  the  estate  was  care- 
fully invested  and  augmented,  and  to  those  upon  whom 
rested  the  burden  of  organization,  building  and  inaugu- 
ration. 

In  short,  the  Lewis  Institute  is  a  monument  to  an 
individual,  but  a  monument  which  is  the  result  of  the 
careful  building  of  willing  hands  directed  by  active 
minds  intent  upon  carrying  out  not  only  the  literal  ex- 
pression, but  the  implied  desires  of  the  founder. 

Allen  C.  Lewis  was  born  in  Sterling,  Conn.,  in 
1821.  He  came  west  in  early  life,  engaging  in  business 
in  Elgin,  whence  he  removed  to  Chicago  in  1853. 
While  in  Chicago  he  laid  the  foundation  of  his  fortune 
chiefly  by  the  purchase  and  location  of  land  warrants. 
In  1867  his  health  failed  and  most  of  his  holdings  were 
transferred  to  real  estate  or  securities  of  the  new  rail- 
ways which  were  then  being  built  in  the  west.  In  com- 
mon with  most  western  men  of  eastern  origin,  he  was 
impressed  with  the  vast  resources  of  the  country,  with 
the  great  demands  that  would  be  made  for  their  devel- 
opment, and  with  the  certainty  of  the  rapid  increase  of 
the  population.  Four  or  five  years  spent  in  Europe  in  a 
vain  effort  to  recover  his  health  gave  him  opportunities 

(659) 


660  Lewis  Institute. 

to  observe  the  conditions  of  the  young  men  and 
women  of  the  people,  and  the  lack  of  trained  skill  which 
plays  so  great  a  part  in  the  determination  of  their 
lives. 

An  elder  brother,  John  Lewis,  who  died  in  1875, 
left  to  Allen  C.  Lewis  the  greater  part  of  his  fortune, 
amounting  to  8300,000.  The  will  of  John  Lewis  is  a 
short,  simple,  direct  document,  a  good  index  of  the 
character  of  the  man.  While  no  statement  is  made  as 
to  the  ultimate  disposition  of  the  bequest,  .there  is  little 
doubt  that  it  was  intended  as  his  contribution  to  a 
cause  as  dear  to  him  as  to  his  brother. 

Allen  C.  Lewis  died  October  25,  1877,  and  his  will 
was  admitted  to  probate  November  1.  At  the  time  of 
the  bequest  there  were  but  three  technical  schools  of 
any  importance  in  this  country.  All  of  these  were  in 
the  eastern  states,  but  some  of  the  western  universities 
and  colleges  were  beginning  to  announce  technical 
courses.  The  need  of  such  an  institution  was  felt  in 
Chicago,  and  the  hope  of  a  foundation  by  bequest  was 
expressed  frequently  by  the  press.  No  one  seems  to 
have  thought,  however,  of  the  source  from  which  it 
would  come.  The  gift  of  Mr.  Lewis  was  as  unexpected 
as  it  was  welcome.  While  well  known  to  many  of  the 
citizens  of  Chicago,  Mr.  Lewis  had  been  for  years  an 
invalid ;  he  was  naturally  averse  to  publicity,  and  few 
persons  knew  the  extent  of  his  fortune  or  the  plans  he 
had  formed  for  its  disposition.  The  gift  received  the 
praise  of  the  public  for  its  magnitude,  remarkable  in 
that  day;  for  the  modest  way  in  which  it  was  made,  and 
for  the  broad  philanthropic  lines  which  were  laid  down 
to  guide  the  trustees  in  its  management. 

Mr.  Lewis  realized  that  the  sum  left  by  his  will 
would  be  insufficient  for  the  purposes  which  he  desired 
to  accomplish,  and  foresaw  that  changing  conditions 
would,  in  all  probability,  modify  the  execution  of  the 
trust.  Four  distinct  features  appear  in  the  conditions 
attending  the  gift.  The  first,  and  apparently  the  most 


Lewis  Institute.  661 

important  in  the  mind  of  Mr.  Lewis,  was  a  school 
which  should  develop  the  technical  skill  of  young  men, 
and  especially  young  women,  to  such  a  point  that  their 
position  as  wage  earners  would  be  secure.  This  might 
be  done  best  for  a  large  class  by  means  of  a  night 
school.  The  second  and  third  objects  were  to  be  a  ben- 
efit to  the  general  public  as  well,  and  consisted  of  a 
library  and  reading  room,  and  a  course  of  public 
lectures  to  be  determined  by  the  needs  of  the  commun- 
ity, but  to  be,  preferably,  along  the  lines  of  the  work 
done  in  the  school.  The  fourth  establishment  was  to 
be  made  as  soon  as  the  estate  would  warrant  it,  and 
was  to  be  a  thoroughly  equipped  school  of  technology. 
Provisions  were  made  for  changes  necessitated  by 
varying  conditions,  and  two  sites  belonging  to  the 
estate  were  suggested  as  possible  locations  for  the 
institution. 

The  first  trustees  under  the  will  were  James  M. 
Adsit,  Henry  F.  Lewis  and  Hugh  A.  White.  The 
estate  at  the  death  of  Mr.  Lewis  amounted  to  about 
$550,000,  and  by  the  terms  of  his  will  the  trustees  were 
not  to  begin  the  work  planned  for  them  to  do  until  the 
estate  should  amount  to  $800,000.  John  A.  Roche  was 
appointed  a  trustee  in  the  place  of  James  M.  Adsit, 
who  resigned,  and  George  M.  Bogue  was  appointed  to 
the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Henry  F.  Lewis. 
Mr.  Bogue  resigned,  and  the  estate  was  in  the  hands 
of  Mr.  White  and  Mr.  Roche.  Careful  investments  had 
increased  the  amount  to  $1,400,000.  Upon  the  death  of 
Mr.  White,  Christian  C.  Kohlsaat  and  John  McLaren 
were  appointed,  and  the  board  thus  constituted  ar- 
ranged to  carry  out  the  provisions  of  the  will.  This 
board  was  especially  well  adapted  for  the  work  to  be 
done.  The  members  represented  a  broad  knowledge  of 
the  manufacturing  interests  and  needs  of  the  city,  inti- 
mate acquaintance  with  social  conditions,  due  to  long 
service  in  administrative  and  judicial  positions,  experi- 
ence in  the  management  of  large  interests,  and  in  the 


662  Lewis  Institute. 

direction  of  the  public  school  system  of  Chicago.  Be- 
fore determining  the  character  of  the  new  institution, 
the  trustees  made  an  extended  tour  of  the  eastern 
states,  inspecting  institutions  of  technology,  confer- 
ring with  experts  in  technical  education,  and  examin- 
ing buildings  and  courses  of  study. 

A  number  of  prominent  citizens,  chiefly  from  the 
west  division  of  Chicago,  were  invited  to  meet  the 
trustees  at  the  Union  League  Club  November  15,  1894, 
to  discuss  the  subject,  "What  does  Chicago  expect  of 
the  trustees?"  The  answers  to  this  question  fell 
into  two  classes.  Perhaps  the  majority  of  the  speakers 
favored  a  school  verging  upon  the  trade  school,  while 
the  others  were  in  favor  of  a  thoroughly  equipped 
school  of  technology.  All  the  opinions  agreed  in 
this — that  the  Institute  should  train  the  young  man 
and  woman  to  some  particular  trade,  and  thus  enable 
them  to  secure  steady  and  remunerative  employment. 

After  the  meeting  of  November  15,  plans  were 
received  for  a  building  suited  to  the  purposes  specified 
by  the  founder  as  these  purposes  were  understood  and 
interpreted  by  the  trustees.  These  proposals  were  the 
subject  of  much  careful  thought  and  deliberation. 
Minute  investigations  were  made  of  the  special  feat- 
ures of  the  several  plans  and  their  adaptation  to  the 
work  of  the  school.  Those  of  Henry  Ives  Cobb  were 
selected,  and  in  accordance  with  them  the  building 
was  begun.  Upon  the  completion  of  the  building,  the 
trustees,  following  the  provisions  of  the  will,  elected 
Oliver  H.  Horton  and  Thomas  Kane  to  their  number, 
and  selected  William  J.  Chalmers,  William  R.  Harper, 
Christoph  Hotz,  Albert  G.  Lane  and  Henry  M.  Lyman 
to  constitute  with  themselves  the  board  of  managers. 

In  May,  1895,  George  Noble  Carman,  a  graduate  of 
the  University  of  Michigan,  prominent  in  western  edu- 
cational circles,  and  at  that  time  Principal  of  the  Mor- 
gan Park  Academy  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  was 
appointed  director. 


Lewis  Institute.  663 

Meanwhile  the  organization  of  the  Institute  had 
begun.  The  character  of  the  community  in  which  the 
Institute  was  located  made  it  evident  that  work  of  the 
greatest  variety  would  be  called  for.  To  confine  the 
attendance  to  any  particular  class  would  be  to  limit 
the  scope  of  the  work,  curtail  the  income  of  the  school 
from  tuition,  and  eventually,  perhaps,  injure  most  those 
classes  which  the  Institute  was  designed  especially  to 
benefit.  It  was  found  possible  to  plan  the  work  so  that 
each  class  contributed  something  to  the  good  of  the 
whole,  preserving  the  principles  of  personal  independ- 
ence and  democratic  association. 

The  course  of  study  as  at  first  arranged,  and  at  pres- 
ent continued,  comprises  three  lines  of  work,  known  as 
the  courses  in  Arts,  Sciences  and  Technology.  These 
cover  a  period  of  six  years  and  include  two  years  of 
college  work,  in  addition  to  the  four  years  of  secondary 
work.  The  old  term,  secondary  education,  applied  to 
courses  and  institutions  midway  between  the  primary 
school  and  the  college,  is  in  itself -misleading.  The  lim- 
its of  the  course  are  quantitative,  and  not  chronolog- 
ical ;  they  are  established  also  by  the  degree  of  devel- 
opment of  the  student  and  his  or  her  power  for  individ- 
ual and  original  work.  The  endowment  and  equipment 
of  Lewis  Institute  warrant  the  step  thus  taken,  while 
time  has  shown  that  this  was  an  advance  movement 
in  education  likely  to  be  followed  in  the  future. 

Another  criticism  of  American  education,  and  espe- 
cially of -American  technical  education,  is  that  the  broad 
foundations  of  general  intelligence  are  neglected,  that 
the  specialist  knows  nothing  but  his  specialty  ;  that  he 
is,  therefore,  limited  in  many  of  his  social  duties.  This 
criticism  has  been  met  to  a  great  degree  by  a  flexible 
course  of  study  of  wide  range,  easily  adapted  to  the 
needs  of  individuals.  Among  the  more  important 
features  are  the  long  school  day,  limitation  of  the  size 
of  classes,  possibilities  of  choice  of  subjects  and  the 
elimination  of  a  fixed  time  required  for  the  completion 
of  a  certain  amount  of  work. 

(8) 


664 


Lewis  Institute. 


The  possible  school  day  was  made  eight  hours  in 
length,  arranged  in  four  two-hour  periods,  thus  decreas- 
ing the  hours  of  outside  study  and  adding  greatly  to 
the  capacity  of  the  laboratories  and  shops.  The  maxi- 
mum of  individual  instruction  was  provided  for  by  the 
limitation  of  the  size  of  classes  to  about  twenty-five 
students,  while  the  system  of  electives  made  possible 
a  course  of  study  determined  by  the  circumstances  and 
necessities  of  the  student. 

The  Institute  grants  but  one  degree,  that  in  me- 
chanical engineering.  The  title  of  Associate  is  con- 
ferred upon  students  who  receive  the  number  of  credits 
ordinarily  comprised  in  the  six  year  course,  while 
certificates  are  granted  students  who  complete  respec- 
tively one-third  and  two-thirds  of  that  amount. 

Instruction  is  offered  in  the  departments  of  Eng- 
lish, history,  mathematics,  mechanical  and  electrical 
engineering,  physiography,  physics,  chemistry,  biology, 
Latin,  Greek,  German,  French,  Spanish,  domestic 
economy,  and  drawing  and  design.  The  question  of 
extension  is  an  important  one  in  which  safety  of  solu- 
tion lies  rather  in  meeting  than  creating  a  demand. 
The  table  below  shows  the  enrollment  for  each  year 
in  both  day  and  night  classes,  and  the  number  of  mem- 
bers of  the  faculty  each  year  in  the  day  and  night 
schools. 


1896-97 

1897-98 

1898-99 

1899-1900 

1900-01 

1901-02 

Members  of  faculty  and  assist- 
ants, day  and  night  classes. 
Students,  day  classes   

29 
434 

38 
545 

64 
614 

79 
790 

85 
1,006 

89 
1,033 

Students,  night  classes  

260 

520 

775 

1,190 

1,029 

1  087 

Total  number  of  students  

604 

1,065 

1,389 

1,980 

2,035 

2,120 

The  equipment  of  the  Institute  is  ample  and  well 
adapted  for  the  practical  work  undertaken ;  the  labora- 
tories are  large  and  convenient ,  the  shops,  situated  in 
a  detached  building,  are  provided  with  the  necessary 
materials  and  tools.  A  new  gymnasium,  under  the 


Lewis  Institute.  665 

direction  of  an  exceptionally  competent  instructor,  pro- 
vides for  class  and  individual  work  in  physical  train- 
ing1. The  same  instructor  is  also  the  director  of  school 
athletics.  Various  societies  and  musical  organizations 
add  to  the  social  life  of  the  school,  and  do  much  to 
form  a  healthy  school  spirit. 

At  the  close  of  the  first  six  years,  which  were  nec- 
essarily more  or  less  experimental,  the  Institute  has 
established  a  firm  basis  for  future  growth,  has  inaugu- 
rated successfully  some  new  ideas  in  general  and  tech- 
nical education,  and  is  prepared  to  meet  demands  for 
further  development  and  extension.  The  library  and 
reading  room  contains  10,350  volumes  and  about  200 
periodicals.  These  have  been  selected  with  a  view  to 
the  present  needs  of  the  school  and  their  place  in  what 
shall  be  ultimately  a  valuable  reference  library.  A 
definite  appropriation  is  made  each  year  for  additions 
to  this  collection,  making  the  development  possible 
along  well  defined  lines  of  growth. 

The  students  in  the  day  classes  represent  all  ranks 
of  society.  Among  them  are  to  be  found  not  the  great- 
est extremes  of  poverty  or  of  wealth,  but  marked  differ- 
ences which  are  lost  sight  of  in  the  common  interest  of 
school  work.  The  plan  of  the  Institute  has  been,  from 
the  first,  so  to  adjust  the  relations  of  school  and  pupil, 
that  no  deserving  person,  who  has  the  cost  of  living 
provided,  is  deprived  of  an  education  through  inability 
to  pay  the  tuition.  In  many  cases,  also,  students  have 
found  it  possible  to  support  themselves  while  doing 
their  regular  work.  In  addition  to  these  provisions 
made  by  the  trustees  there  are  three  scholarships, 
established  by  the  bequest  of  Mrs.  Hugh  A.  White. 
These  scholarships  are  awarded  by  the  terms  of  her 
will  under  the  direction  o'f  Mr.  McLaren,  and  give  free 
tuition  to  their  holders. 

Practical  work  for  young  women  has  been  begun 
in  the  departments  of  domestic  science  and  drawing, 
looking  forward  to  the  almost  unlimited  possibilities  of 


666  Lewis  Institute. 

designing  as  applied  to  the  different  forms  of  pro- 
duction. 

Lecture  courses  have  been  maintained  each  year, 
supplemented  by  numerous  single  lectures  by  experts 
in  some  special  field  closely  connected  with  the  scien- 
tific or  technical  work  of  the  Institute. 

One  of  the  most  successful  features  of  the  work  is 
the  night  school,  in  which  a  merely  nominal  tuition  is 
charged. 

For  the  three  years  ending  in  December,  1902,  over 
1,000  students  have  been  enrolled  each  year.  The 
attendance  is  of  the  most  varied  character,  including 
representatives  of  most  of  the  trades  and  professions. 
Many  of  the  students  are  present  for  two  or  three 
years  in  succession,  and  are  seeking  to  attain  some 
definite  point  in  preparation  for  special  work.  Changes 
are  frequent  from  the  night  to  the  day  classes,  and 
the  opposite,  according  to  the  circumstances  of  the 
students. 

The  night  school  is  favored  by  the  hearty  support 
of  many  of  the  largest  manufacturing  and  commercial 
interests  of  Chicago. 

This  feature  of  the  work  is  particularly  gratifying 
to  the  management  of  the  institution,  not  only  from  the 
standpoints  of  attendance  and  popular  favor,  but  be- 
cause it  exemplifies  more  than  anything  else  the  prac- 
tical idea  of  the  founder,  to  extend  help  to  those  most 
willing  to  profit  by  it,  and  to  afford  opportunity  for  ad- 
vancement in  the  trades  and  mechanic  arts,  not  to  be 
obtained  otherwise  in  the  present  conditions  of  indus- 
trial life.  In  addition  to  this  work  of  a  purely  technical 
character,  there  are  large  classes  in  mathematics,  pure 
sciences  and  the  languages. 

A  spirit  of  intelligent  appreciation  and  active  co- 
operation in  extending  the  work  of  the  night  school  is 
shown  by  those  who  attend  it,  thus  justifying  the  wis- 
dom and  foresight  of  those  who  have  been  charged 
with  the  inception  and  management  of  the  institution, 


Lewis  Institute.  667 

and  offering  to  others  who  are  interested  in  matters  of 
similar  public  advancement  an  opportunity  to  assist 
and  further  the  work  now  established. 

The  number  of  courses  offered  at  night  is  limited 
only  by  the  demand  for  them  and  the  equipment  of  the 
Institute.  New  courses  are  introduced  as  they  seem 
to  meet  the  needs  of  the  changing  industrial  life  of 
Chicago. 

So  far,  then,  the  plan  of  Allen  C.  Lewis  has  been 
worked  out  in  the  past  six  years.  The  trustees  are 
fully  aware  of  the  needs  of  the  city  and  the  institution, 
and  feel  deeply  the  weight  of  responsibility  resting 
upon  them  in  this  formative  period.  The  first  elements 
of  the  foundation,  a  broad  general  education,  with 
added  technical  skill  of  high  grade,  certainly  are  safe 
bases  upon  which  to  build. 

CHARLES  W.  MANN. 


ARMOUR   INSTITUTE   OF   TECHNOLOGY. 

Armour  Institute  of  -Technology  first  opened  its 
doors  to  students  in  September,  1893,  but  the  seed  from 
which  it  grew  was  planted  as  early  as  June,  1874,  when 
a  mission  school,  supported  by  members  of  Plymouth 
Congregational  church,  was  established  on  Thirty-first 
street,  Chicago.  Mr.  Joseph  Armour,  brother  of  Mr. 
Philip  D.  Armour,  was  deeply  interested  in  this  Sun- 
day school  and  contributed  to  its  support.  Later  it 
was  moved  to  larger  quarters  at  State  and  Twenty- 
eighth  streets,  and  again  to  still  larger  rooms  at 
Thirty-first  and  Butterfield  streets,  now  called  Armour 
avenue.  Inspired  by  the  growth  of  this  mission,  Mr. 
Joseph  Armour  left,  in  1881,  a  bequest  of  $100,000  to 
found  an  institution  which  should  have  for  its  object 
the  care  and  development  of  youth.  Mr.  Philip  D. 
Armour  was  the  executor  of  his  brother's  will,  and  not 
only  made  judicious  use  of  his  brother's  bequest,  but 
added  largely  from  his  own  resources.  As  a  result,  the 
Armour  Mission  was  founded.  Not  content  with  the 
breadth  of  work  done  by  the  mission,  and  guided  by 
his  own  keen  insight  into  the  needs  of  the  present 
generation,  Mr.  Armour  broadened  the  lines  of  his  work 
and  founded  Armour  Institute  of  Technology. 

When  its  doors  were  first  opened,  Mr.  Armour 
associated  with  him  as  trustees  his  sons,  J.  Ogden 
Armour  and  Philip  D.  Armour,  Jr.,  William  J.  Camp- 
bell and  John  C.  Black.  Rev.  Dr.  F.  W.  Gunsaulus 
was  made  president  and  Thomas  C.  Roney,  dean 
of  the  faculty.  Mr.  W.  J.  Campbell  died,  and  the 

(668) 


Armour  Institute  of  Technology.  669 

president  was  selected  to  fill  the  vacancy.  The 
death  of  Mr.  Armour,  following  the  death  of  his  son, 
Philip  D.  Armour,  Jr.,  was  a  severe  loss.  But  the 
ideals  of  the  founder  were  ably  maintained  by  the 
widow  and  surviving  son,  who  have  amply  provided  for 
the  needs  of  the  Institute.  The  board  of  trustees  is 
now  constituted  as  follows :  Mr.  J.  Ogden  Armour, 
Mrs.  P.  D.  Armour,  Mrs.  J.  Ogden  Armour,  Mrs.  P.  A. 
Valentine,  Mr.  John  C.  Black,  Mr.  Simeon  B.  Chapin 
and  Rev.  Frank  W.  Gunsaulus. 

The  ideals  of  the  institution  to-day  bear  little  re- 
semblance to  the  ideals  set  up  in  1893.  Actuated  by  a 
keen  perception  that  what  the  young  man  of  to-day 
needs  is  an  exact  knowledge  of  the  facts  of  science 
and  a  practical  skill  in  applying  them  to  the  needs  of 
mankind,  Mr.  Armour  founded  the  Institute  to  work 
out  this  idea.  The  ideals  of  the  trade  and  the  manual 
training  school  were  soon  passed  by,  as  solving  only  a 
portion  of  the  problem.  At  last  the  idea  of  a  strictly 
high  grade  technical  school  became,  in  the  minds  of 
those  who  were  shaping  the  policy  of  the  Institute,  the 
only  solution  of  the  problem.  The  aim  of  the  Institute 
now  is  to  furnish  a  strictly  technical  education  of  four 
years'  duration  in  the  lines  of  engineering,  and  to  con- 
fer the  degree  of  bachelor  of  science  on  its  graduates, 
thus  placing  them  at  par  with  the  regular  college  grad- 
uate. 

The  engineering  work  has  grown  to  be  the  main 
feature  of  the  Institute,  and  is  embraced  in  the  technical 
college.  Here  four-year  courses  in  mechanical  engineer- 
ing, electrical  engineering,  civil  engineering,  chemical 
engineering  and  architecture  are  offered,  each  leading 
to  the  appropriate  degree  of  bachelor  of  science.  In 
shaping  these  courses  careful  attention  has  been  paid 
to  securing  a  judicious  balancing  of  the  theoretical  and 
practical.  The  chemistry,  the  physics,  the  mathemat- 
ics, the  modern  languages  are  all  so  co-ordinated  with 
each  other,  and  with  the  strictly  technical  work,  that 


670  Armour  Institute  of  Technology. 

the  young  engineer  finds  himself,  after  a  course  at  the 
Institute,  well  able  to  advance  in  his  chosen  profession 
to  the  highest  fields  of  usefulness. 

There  are  to-day  two  opposite  views  as  to  the  proper 
ingredients  of  an  engineering  course.  One  would 
exclude  all  but  the  purely  technical;  the  other  would 
include  a  portion  of  the  humanities.  The  policy  at 
Armour  Institute  of  Technology  is  to  follow  the  latter 
plan,  and  consequently  logic,  psychology,  English,  his- 
tory and  economics  have  been  introduced  into  the  en- 
gineering courses.  This  plan  has  been  adopted  in  order 
to  develop  the  cultural  side  without  detracting  from  the 
strictly  technical.  It  is  believed  that  students  com- 
pleting these  courses  are  no  less  educated,  in  the  best 
sense  of  the  term,  than  those  who  pursue  the  ordinary 
course  in  the  classical  colleges.  The  day  is  past  when 
the  study  of  science,  either  pure  or  applied,  need  give 
reasons  for  its  existence.  The  burden  of  proof  is  no 
longer  upon  the  scientist  and  the  technical  man.  While 
it  is  not  claimed  that  science  and  technology  will 
give  the  same  culture  and  polish  that  the  classics  or 
philosophy  may  give,  yet  it  is  claimed  that  they  give 
a  culture  of  their  own  equal  to  anything  the  classics 
can  give.  Absolute  accuracy  of  thought,  intellectual 
integrity,  directness  of  purpose,  and  the  mental  exal- 
tation which  comes  with  the  close  union  of  theory  and 
practice,  are  virtues  strongly  characteristic  of  the 
student  of  technology. 

Before  the  passage  of  the  Morrill  bill  by  Congress, 
July  2,  1862,  schools  of  technology  and  applied  science 
had  a  precarious  existence.  The  provisions  of  the 
Morrill  bill  gave  to  the  states  public  land  for  the  en- 
couragement of  agricultural  and  technical  schools. 
The  passage  of  this  bill  was  the  renaissance  of  technical 
education  in  the  United  States.  Under  its  provision 
technical  education  became  firmly  established  in  almost 
every  state  of  the  Union.  Following  the  establish- 
ment of  state  schools  came  the  founding  of  private 


Armour  Institute  of  Technology.  671 

schools,  of  which  Armour  Institute  of  Technology  is 
the  latest  example.  The  education  offered  by  the 
engineering  departments  of  state  institutions  and  by 
private  technical  schools  was  formerly  regarded  as  a 
substitute  for  a  classical  education  for  such  as  had  not 
the  power  to  master  the  Greek  aorist  or  to  rise  to  an 
appreciation  of  Plato.  But  the  work  of  these  technical 
schools,  as  shown  by  the  success  of  their  graduates  in 
holding  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility,  and  their 
general  high  standing  among  men  of  affairs,  has  shown 
that  young  men  trained  according  to  the  light  of  mod- 
ern science  are  fully  as  well  equipped  as  the  graduates 
of  the  classical  college. 

In  any  new  movement  like  the  one  we  are  now 
considering  difficulties  are  encountered  which  cannot 
be  foreseen.  It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  in  the  ordi- 
nary course  of  affairs  the  demand  for  an  article  will 
bring  about,  in  some  way,  the  supply  of  that  article. 
And  in  most  affairs  the  regulation  of  demand  and  sup- 
ply can  be  safely  left  to  private  enterprise.  But  the 
history  of  technical  education  shows  that  the  very  op- 
posite principle  has  held  true — the  supply  creates  the 
demand.  A  broader  intelligence  than  that  of  the  mar- 
ket is  needed  to  see  not  merely  what  the  people  do 
need,  but  what  they  ought  to  need.  To  this  far-reach- 
ing intelligence  on  the  part  of  Philip  D.  Armour  and 
Rev.  Dr.  F.  W.  Gunsaulus  is  due  the  original  founda- 
tion and  consequent  growth  of  the  Armour  Institute  of 
Technology.  They  recognized  that  the  ordinary  work- 
ing of  the  law  of  supply  and  demand  was  here  reversed, 
and  that  technical  schools  must  first  be  founded  and 
their  product  put  upon  the  market  in  the  form  of 
scientifically  trained  young  men  before  private  enter- 
prise would  understand  the  need  it  had  for  them.  The 
battle  has  been  a  slow  one,  but  it  is  well  nigh  over, 
and  to-day  the  value  of  the  scientific  man  in  the  mill, 
the  manufactory,  the  electrical  plant  and  on  the  rail- 
road is  generally  conceded,  and  the  demand  for  his 
services  is  on  the  increase. 


672  Armour  Institute  of  Technology. 

The  technical  college  of  the  Institute  is  now  under 
the  charge  of  Dean  Victor  C.  Alderson.  G.  F.  Gebhardt 
is  professor  of  mechanical  engineering;  I.  J.  Macomber, 
professor  of  electrical  engineering;  W.  F.  Shattuck, 
associate  professor  of  architecture ;  W.  T.  McClement, 
professor  of  chemical  engineering,  and  Alfred  E. 
Phillips,  professor  of  civil  engineering. 

Leading  to  the  technical  college  is  Armour  scien- 
tific academy,  of  which  Howard  M.  Raymond  is  prin- 
cipal. The  work  in  the  academy  is  on  the  elective 
basis,  so  that  each  student  may  select  just  that  com- 
bination of  studies  which  will  best  fit  him  for  his  future 
work.  No  attempt  at  manual  training,  as  such,  is  at- 
tempted in  the  academy,  though  much  manual  skill  is 
acquired  in  the  laboratories  of  physics  and  chemistry 
and  in  the  drafting  rooms. 

The  artistic  side  of  education  at  the  Institute  is 
developed  in  a  manner  peculiar  to  itself.  Frequent 
recitals  of  a  high  musical  order  are  given  to  the  stud- 
ents and  their  friends.  Besides  this,  the  Institute  is 
fortunate  in  having  in  its  president  a  connoisseur  in  art 
who  believes  in  the  constant  daily  and  hourly  influence 
of  the  presence  of  art  upon  the  character  and  taste  of 
the  individual.  Not  only  are  the  walls  of  the  Institute 
building  adorned  by  masterpieces  owned  by  the  Insti- 
tute itself,  but  not  a  day  has  passed  since  the  first  stud- 
ent entered  its  doors  that  there  has  not  been  in  the 
corridor  to  greet  him  a  fine  painting  from  the  brush  of 
some  master  hand.  These  paintings  are  loaned  by 
private  owners,  by  dealers,  by  the  Art  Institute,  and 
frequently  by  the  artists  themselves.  Among  the  emi- 
nent artists  whose  works  have  been  on  exhibition  are  : 

Munkacsy :     ' '  The  Two  Families. ' ' 
Helberg  :     "  The  Missing-  Manuscript." 
Leader  :     "Scene  in  Surrey,  England." 
Leader:     "Forest  Scene,  England." 
Cooper  :     "  Sheep  and  Cattle." 
William  Watson  :     "  Scotch  Sheep." 
Van  Marck  :     "  Cattle." 
John  Constable  :     "  The  Old  Mill." 
Francois  Millet :     "  Roman  Girl." 


Armour  Institute  of  Technology.  673 

Joseph  Israels  :    "  Motherhood." 

Artz  :     "  The  Fagot  Gatherers." 

Dante  Gabriel  Rosetti  :     "  Marion  Earle." 

Rico  :     "Grand  Canal,  Venice." 

Rehn  :     "  Sunshower  on  the  Atlantic  Coast." 

B.  Plockhorst :     "  Madonna  and  Child." 

Another  means  of  general  culture  and  develop- 
ment is  the  library  of  15,000  volumes,  under  the  charge 
of  Mrs.  Julia  Beveridge,  librarian.  A  well  equipped 
gymnasium,  under  the  charge  of  Henry  B.  Thomas,  is 
the  center  of  the  athletic  activity  of  the  students.  Ath- 
letic affairs  are  controlled  by  an  athletic  association 
composed  of  representatives  of  the  college,  the  acad- 
emy and  the  faculty.  Student  societies  are  encouraged 
in  all  legitimate  ways.  They  include  chapters  of  the 
Phi  Kappa  Sigma  and  Delta  Tau  Delta  fraternities,  a 
technical  society,  a  camera  club,  a  glee  and  mandolin 
club  and  a  branch  of  the  college  Y.  M.  C.  A.  The 
students  publish  The  Fulci*um,  monthly,  and  the  Inte- 
gral, yearly. 

As  a  whole,  Armour  Institute  of  Technology  is  but 
one  of  the  sociological  results  of  the  scientific  spirit 
of  the  century.  It  is  an  institution  with  ideals  un- 
tramelled  by  local  traditions.  Its  large  and  constantly 
increasing -number  of  students  shows  that  it  is  supply- 
ing forms  of  education  which  are  in  urgent  demand, 
which  can  be  easily  supplied  by  a  new  institution,  but 
which  are  very  slowly  engrafted  upon  the  long  estab- 
lished curricula  of  older  schools.  No  effort  is  made  to 
duplicate  good  work  done  elsewhere.  The  ideals  which 
come  from  close  study  and  careful  thought  here  have 
a  place  for  unlimited  expansion.  With  the  highest 
ideals  on  the  part  of  the  president  and  board  of  trust- 
ees as  an  inspiration,  with  unlimited  freedom  in  lecture 
hall  and  laboratory,  the  faculty  have  endeavored  to 
make  Armour  Institute  of  Technology  not  only  a  con- 
stant protest  against  foolish  education,  but  the  epitome 
of  the  best  thought  and  experience  of  this  age.  It 
might  well  be  called  a  university  of  the  twentieth 
century.  VICTOR  C.  ALDERSON. 


THE   FUTURE   OF   CHICAGO. 

Twenty-five  hundred  years  ago  Greece,  the  Ionian 
Isles,  and  the  country  around  the  eastern  extremity  of 
the  Mediterranean  sea,  were  all  that  were  known  of 
the  world  of  literature  and  of  history  and  of  geography. 
Athens  was  then  the  great  metropolitan  center  of  the 
world's  civilization,  and  this  city  may  be  considered 
as  the  pioneer  in  city  building  ;  although  Egypt  ante- 
dates this  period,  yet  she  has  left  but  feeble  records  to 
prove  any  obligations  due  her  from  medieval  or  modern 
science  and  art.  Omitting  the  various  lesser  cities 
that  intervened  between  Athens  and  Rome,  the 
latter  made  an  immense  advance  into  the  barbarian 
darkness  of  Europe  by  conquering  the  southern  portions 
of  that  continent  into  the  aegis  of  civilization  as  it  ex- 
isted during  the  first  century.  During  this  period 
Rome  was  the  great  city  of  the  world  in  a  military  and 
even  in  a  commercial  sense.  Omitting  the  regime  of 
the  Franks,  who  built  few  large  cities,  let  us  consider 
London  and  Paris  the  immediate  precursors  of  the 
American  cities  of  New  York,  Boston  and  Philadel- 
phia. These  three  American  cities  were  pioneers  as 
commercial  cities  that  had  no  grip  upon  the  spiritual 
sentiment  of  the  community  or  the  state  for  support. 
Geography  now  allies  itself  to  commerce  to  promote 
city  building,  and  Cincinnati,  Detroit,  Chicago  and  St. 
Louis  are  the  result.  We  have  now  before  us  a  fair 
field  of  rivalry  between  the  cities  of  the  whole  world 
as  to  future  growth  and  grandeur  ;  and  the  city  un- 
trammeled  by  commercial  restrictions  or  religious 

(674) 


In  1893  Mr.  Leiter  gave  his  daughter  Mary  V.,  in  marriage  to  the 
Hon.  George  Curzon,  M.  P.  Subsequently  Mr.  Curzon  was  appointed 
Viceroy  of  British  India,  when  this  young  Chicago  bride  became 
Vicereine,  and,  with  her  husband,  is  greatly  beloved  by  their  subjects 
and  honored  by  the  British  government  and  nation. 


The  Future  of  Chicago.  675 

tribute,  and  the  most  favored  by  geographical  condi- 
tions will,  in  the  near  future,  win  the  race.  Of  these 
four  cities  just  mentioned,  Chicago  was  the  latest  one 
started  from  nature's  wilds,  and  up  to  1860  was  the 
smallest  in  numbers.  Since  that  date  she  has  grown 
rapidly  and  in  a  very  brief  space  of  time  has  left  the 
others  behind  in  population,  and  even  in  wealth.  She 
is  now  the  second  city  in  America  and,  with  New  York, 
stands  in  open  rivalry  with  London  and  Paris.  Lon- 
don owes  her  greatness  to  her  commerce  on  the  high 
seas,  protected  by  the  British  navy.  Chicago,  situated 
far  in  the  depths  of  a  continent,  does  not  need  such 
protection.  The  railroads  that  concentrate  here  are 
the  avenues  of  her  commerce,  added  to  which  are  her 
partial  commercial  advantages  through  the  great  chain 
of  lakes  to  the  east,  and  her  drainage  canal  to  the 
Mississippi.  No  other  city  in  the  world  has  such  a  vast 
area  of  productive  lands  all  around  her  and  such  facili- 
ties for  extending  her  streets  without  crossing  streams 
or  without  heavy  grades.  Both  national  grandeur  and 
urban  grandeur  are  appreciated  in  proportion  as  they 
excel  and  supersede.  The  great  cities  of  Europe  and 
America  now  have  natural  advantages  pretty  nearly 
balanced.  National  pride  and  ambition  must  decide 
the  issue.  If  British  progress! veness  and  ingenuity 
exceed  American,  London  will  ever,  as  now,  be  the 
largest  city  in  the  world.  On  the  other  hand,  if  Ameri- 
can progressiveness  and  ingenuity  exceed  British, 
either  New  York  or  Chicago  will  ultimately  be  the 
largest  city  in  the  world.  On  this  latter  hypothesis 
we  have  the  issue  narrowed  down  to  New  York  and 
Chicago. 

Which  shall  win  the  prize  ? 


PREHISTORIC   CHICAGO. 

Immediately  after  the  treaty  of  Paris,  of  1783, 
which  guaranteed  the  independence  of  the  United 
States,  Washington,  with  characteristic  forethought 
coupled  with  deep  penetration,  began  to  take  meas- 
ures to  provide  against  foreign  aggression.  With  this 
end  in  view,  in  1784,  he  wrote  a  letter  to  Benjamin 
Harrison,  the  newly  appointed  governor  of  the  North- 
west Territory,  urging  upon  him  the  necessity  of  bind- 
ing together  all  points  of  the  Union,  especially  the 
west  with  the  east,  in  order  to  prevent  the  formation 
of  commercial  and  consequently  political  connections 
with  either  the  Spaniards  of  the  Ploridas,  or  the  Brit- 
ish of  Canada.  To  effect  this  he  advised  the  survey 
of  the  Potomac  and  James  rivers,  and  portages  from 
them  to  the  Ohio  river  at  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum, 
and  also  from  that  river  to  the  sources  of  the  Cuyahoga 
river,  for  the  purpose  of  opening  water  communica- 
tions for  the  commerce  of  the  Ohio  and  the  lakes  to 
the  seaboard.  In  a  letter  to  Richard  Henry  Lee,  in 
the  same  year,  he  says  :  "Would  it  not  be  worthy  of 
the  wisdom  and  attention  of  congress  to  have  the 
western  waters  well  explored,  the  navigation  of  them 
fully  ascertained  and  accurately  laid  down,  and  a  com- 
plete and  perfect  map  made  of  the  country,  at  least 
as  far  westerly  as  the  Miamis,  running  into  the  Ohio 
and  Lake  Erie,  and  to  see  how  the  waters  of  these 
communicate  with  the  river  St.  Joseph,  which  empties 

(676) 


GEORGE  H.  LAFLIN. 

George  Hinman  Laflin,  one  of  Chicago's  oldest  and  most  success- 
ful business  men,  is  a  native  of  Connecticut,  born  in  Canton,  Conn., 
January  19,  1828.  His  father  was  Matthew  Laflin.  His  mother  was 
Henrietta  Hinman. 

Mr.  Laflin  was  the  founder  of  the  well  known  wholesale  paper 
house  of  G.  H.  &  L.  Laflin,  afterward  Laflin  &  Butler,  and  now  known 
as  the  J.  W.  Butler  Paper  Co.;  Mr.  Laflin  himself  retiring-  from  busi- 
ness in  1872. 

Mr.  Laflin  has  seen  Chicago  grow  from  an  insignificant  village  to 
what  it  now  is,  the  acknowledged  metropolis  of  the  West  and  the  sec- 
ond city  in  the  Union.  He  recalls  with  pleasure  ''  the  early  days  "  of 


Chicago,  and  loves  to  recount  his  experiences  as  a  member  of  the  old 
"bucket  brigade,"  which  at  that  time  constituted  an  important  fac- 
tor in  Chicago's  volunteer  fire  department.  He  was  also  a  member  of 
the  famous  old  Red  Jack  fire  engine  company. 

Mr.  Laflin  was  married  on  September  3,  1851,  to  Mary  Minerva 
Brewster,  who  is  a  direct  descendant  of  the  famous  Elder  William 
Brewster. 

Mr.  Laflin  came  to  Chicago  in  1838,  and  lived  in  old  Fort  Dearborn, 
where  his  father  had  rented  of  Lieutenant  Levansworth  a  house  in 
the  barracks.  He  has  a  very  fine  summer  home  in  Pittsfield,  Mass., 
where  his  children  were  born.  He  resides  there  six  months  in  the  year. 

(57) 


Late  Editor  Chicago  Tribune. 


Prehistoric  Chicago.  677 

into  Lake  Michigan  and  with  the  Wabash ;  for  I  can- 
not forbear  observing  that  the  Miami  village  *  points 
to  a  very  important  post  for  the  Union." 

In  another  letter  to  Mr.  Lee,  in  1785,  he  says  : 
"  However  singular  the  opinion  may  be,  I  cannot 
divest  myself  of  it,  that  the  navigation  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, at  this  time,  ought  to  be  no  object  with  us.  On 
the  contrary,  until  we  have  a  little  time  allowed  to 
open  and  make  easy  the  ways  between  the  Atlantic 
states  and  the  western  territory,  the  obstructions  had 
better  remain,  t  There  is  nothing  that  binds  one  coun- 
try or  one  state  to  another  but  interest. ' ' 

From  this  letter  it  would  appear  that  Washington 
attached  more  importance  to  the  upper  lake  country 
and  its  connections  with  the  James  and  Potomac  rivers 
than  to  the  lower  Mississippi.  From  this  view  he  took, 
it  is  evident  that  he  knew  nothing  of  the  Chicago  river 
and  its  easy  portage  to  the  Mississippi  river  by  the  way 
of  the  Illinois  river,  the  success  of  which  has  but 
recently  been  achieved  by  the  drainage  canal. 

The  part  Spain  subsequently  took  in  closing  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi  against  the  commerce  of  the 
west  raised  a  danger  signal  from  another  quarter. 
General  Wilkinson,  who  had  been  appointed  by  Wash- 
ington to  the  command  of  the  western  army  after  the 
death  of  General  Wayne,  seeing  the  difficulties  of  the 
western  people,  particularly  the  people  of  Kentucky,  in 
sending  their  produce  to  market,  commenced  intriguing 
with  Spain  to  bring  about  a  plan  of  a  western  independ- 
ent confederacy  forming  an  alliance  with  Spain,  which 
power  was  to  grant  to  this  confederacy  a  place  of 


*  Near  the  present  site  of  Fort  Wayne. 

t  By  these  obstructions  he  meant  the  closing-  of  the  Mississippi 
river  ag-ainst  the  commerce  of  the  west. 


678 


Prehistoric  Chicago. 


deposit  at  New  Orleans  and  a  highway  to  the  sea  by  way 
of  the  Mississippi  river.  Spain  took  kindly  to  this 
proposition,  as  she  considered  this  confederacy  would 
be  a  bulwark  to  protect  her  Floridas  and  her  Mexican 


(MAP  NO.  i) 

Map  No.  1,  taken  from  United  States  geological  surveys,  shows 
what  Chicago  was  before  the  lake  shore  had  receded  to  its  present 
locality. 

possessions,  also  her  territory  west  of  the  Mississippi 
river.  In  accordance  with  these  plans  a  city  was  laid 
out  in  prospect  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Mississippi 
river,  and,  in  compliment  to  Spain,  was  named  New 


The  Vicinity  of 

CHICAGO 


Beiitf  a  foe-Sim  He  of 

JAMES  H.  REES 

^  HAP  OF  THAT  DATE. 


Prehistoric  Chicago.  679 

Madrid.*  This  incipient  city  was  destined,  as  Spain 
thought,  to  become  the  great  metropolitan  center  of 
the  immense  west,  and  ample  provisions  were  made, 
laying  out  public  squares  for  state  buildings  and  parks 
for  pleasure  grounds,  and  also  public  grounds  for  the 
erection  of  theaters  and  churches.  Before  the  Ameri- 
can revolution  Great  Britain  had  made  a  conquest 
from  Spain  of  the  Floridas,  and  she  had  conveyed  the 
same  back  to  Spain,  hence  fears  had  arisen  in  the 
minds  of  American  statesmen  that  Great  Britain  was  to 
be  rewarded  for  this  with  the  island  of  New  Orleans,  as 
the  city  and  its  surroundings  were  then  called;  and  in- 
asmuch as  Great  Britain  had  still  retained  possession 
of  Detroit,  various  surmises  as  to  her  future  policy 
were  made,  which,  happily  for  America,  never  came  to 
maturity,  t  All  these  plottings  and  counter-plottings 
did  not  take  into  account  the  part  that  Chicago  was 
destined  to  play,  simply  because  they  were  done  and 
executed  during  the  age  of  prehistoric  Chicago,  which 
never  had  a  history  till  John  Kinzie  came  there  to  set- 
tle in  1804.  Spain,  with  unwarrantable  ambition,  had 
built  an  immense  city  on  paper,  wherewith  to  rival 
some  site  where  Young  America  was  destined  to  set 
his  stakes,  unhandicapped  by  political  or  religious 
intolerance,  and  this  site  was  Chicago. 

St.  Louis  was  settled  and  had  grown  to  a  promis- 
ing village  under  the  regime  of  Spain  before  these 
altercations  between  the  United  States  and  that  power, 
as  just  told,  had  taken  place,  and  history  gives  us  no 
clue  as  to  the  reason  why  St.  Louis  instead  of  New 
Madrid  was  not  then  considered  the  most  propitious 
place  for  the  great  Spanish  city  of  the  west.  The  fact 

*  Wilkinson  was  not  the  only  traitor  to  America  whose  designs 
aimed  at  a  western  confederacy.  Aaron  Burr  was  equally  guilt}-,  but 
the  part  he  took  was  more  subtle  and  less  systematic.  His  actions 
were  confined  to  personal  applications  to  those  who  he  thought 
might  favor  disunion ;  both  of  them  were  arrested  and  tried  for 
treason. 

fCol.  George  Morgan,  of  New  Jersey,  was  the  instrument  b}- 
which  this  grant  was  procured  from  Spain. 


680 


Prehistoric  Chicago. 


that  St.  Louis  is  now  an  immense  metropolis  and  that 
New  Madrid  is  nothing  shows  the  unwisdom  of  Spanish 
forecast  at  that  time.  Fifteen  years  later  Louisiana 
was  purchased  from  France  by  the  United  States, 


(MAP   No.   2} 

Map  No.  2  is  also  a  government  map.  It  shows  Chicago  many 
centuries  later  than  Map  No.  1,  as  this  city  was,  even  within  the 
memory  of  men  now  living.  The  chief  point  of  interest  in  this  map 
is  to  show  the  lines  of  accretions.  Both  these  maps  are  correct 
cartographic  illustrations  of  previous  geological  conditions  of  Chicago. 

Spain  having  ceded  that  province  to  that  power  in  1 801 
by  the  treaty  of  San-Ildefonso,  which  cession  included 
the  entire  territory  west  of  the  Mississippi  and  the 
island  of  New  Orleans.  The  negotiations  for  this 


Prehistoric  Chicago.  681 

purchase  were  executed  at  Paris  by  Robert  Livingston 
and  James  Monroe  on  the  part  of  the  United  States, 
and  Barbe  Marbois  on  the  part  of  France.  Had  this 
purchase  never  been  made,  Chicago  would  have  been 
near  the  western  limit  of  the  United  States,  and  con- 
sequently but  an  outpost  of  the  commerce  of  the  coun- 
try, and  St.  Louis  would  have  been  on  the  eastern 
verge  of  whatever  nation  might  own  the  country  west 
of  the  Mississippi  river. 

Both  of  these  cities  have  an  equal  interest  in  the 
centennial  celebration  which  is  to  take  place  in  1904  at 
St.  Louis,  albeit  St.  Louis  is  the  proper  place  to  hold 
this  celebration. 


VALEDICTION. 

During  the  years  that  I  have  been  at  work  in  writing 
the  foregoing  volumes,  I  have  felt  that,  in  a  certain  sense, 
I  have  been  conversing  with  my  readers;  with  many  of 
whom  (in  Chicago]  I  have  had  the  honor  of  a  personal 
acquaintance.  Much  of  this  work  is  contemporary  his- 
tory, and  on  that  score  will  be  more  valuable  than  if  written 
subsequently  to  the  time  when  the  events  of  which  it  treats 
transpired.  So  recent  has  been  the  time  since  Chicago  has 
had  a  history,  that  only  its  beginning  had  to  be  taken  by 
the  writer  from  the  records  that  preceded  his  oivn  observa- 
tion and  that  of  his  friends  whom  he  has  interviewed. 
The  first  steps  taken  to  build  a  city  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Chicago  river  date  from  the  time  when  General  Wayne, 
who  conquered  ' ' Little  Turtle, ' '  chief  of  the  Miamis,  and 
obtained  from  him  a  deed  of  land  six  miles  square  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Chicago  river,  "  where  a  fort  formerly  stood, 
built  by  Durantaye  in  1 785. ' '  This  deed  was  obtained  at 
the  treaty  of  Greenville,  June,  1795.  (See  Vol.  I,  p.  304-} 
Here  is  the  foundation  on  which  was  built  Chicago  history. 
The  building  of  Fort  Dearborn,  finished  in  1804,  was  the 
first  link  in  its  chain.  The  advent  of  John  Kinzie,  ivho  came 
to  Chicago  the  same  year,  was  the  next.  He  died  previous  to 
the  loriter^s  advent  to  Chicago.  With  John  H.  Kinzie,  his 
son;  Gurdon  S.  Ilubbard,  L.  C.  P.  Freer,  Isaac  N.  Arnold, 
Mark  Skinner,  C.  C.  P.  Ilolden,  Zebina  Eastman  and  many 
others  who  came  soon  after  John  Kinzie,  the  10  riter  was  famil- 
iarly acquainted,  and  has  conferred  with  them  as  to  the  early 
history  of  Chicago.  Chicago  now  contains,  in  round  num- 
bers, 2,000,000  people,  and  the  work  done  to  bring  Chicago 
up  to  this  point  has  been  mostly  of  a  physical  character.  It 
is  but  a  few  years  that  artistic  and  educational  influences 
have  lent  their  aid  to  put  on  the  Praxitelean  touches  to 
constitute  a  city  worthy  of  its  eastern  progenitors.  These 
touches  consist  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  the  North- 
western University,  Lewis  Institute,  the  Art  Institute,  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences  and  Armour  Institute.  Tfiese  are  but  pio- 
neers in  the  work  of  making  Chicago  what  it  ought  to  be, 
and  what  it  surely  will  be  when  it  takes  upon  itself  the 
responsibilities  that  numbers  and  wealth  and  the  present 
age  of  invention  and  higher  standard  of  civilization  will 
demand.  Portraits  which  best  represent  the  interests  of 
education  and  the  amenities  of  social  life  are  herewith 

Pnnt€cL  RUFUS  BLANCHARD. 

CHICAGO,  January,  1903. 


L^L^^^^ 


GENERAL. 


Anti-Slavery  Agitation   in 

Illinois, 125 

Armour  Institute,     ....  668 
Art  Institute,         .     .  •  .     .      .339 

Ashburton-Webster  Treaty,    .  374 

Associated  Press,       ....  56 
Astoria   Established   by  John 

Jacob  Astor, 373 

Black  Laws  of  Illinois,  ...  289 

Brown,  John,  in  Chicago,    .      .  299 

Cahokia, 553 

Chicago  Academyjof  Sciences,  497 

Chicago  American,       ....  242 

Chicago  &  North-Western  Ry. ,  100 

Chicago  Chartered  as  a  City,    .  9 

Chicago  Chronicle, 240 

Chicago  Daily  News  and  Record,  259 

Chicago  Evening  Journal,      .     .  248 

Chicago  Evening  Post,      .     .     .  245 

Chicago  Fire  Department,      .  158 

Chicago  Inter-Ocean,    ....  237 

Chicago  Library  Association,  467 
Chicago  Manual  Training 

School, 493 

Chicago  Public  Library,     .     .  478 

Chicago  Relief  and  Aid  Society  152 

Chicago  River  and  its  Bridges,  149 

Chicago  Times- Her  aid,     .     .     .  243 

Chicago  Tribune,  History  of,    .  229 

Chicago,  The  Future  of,      .     .  674 

City  Limits  of  Chicago,       .      .  16 

City  Press  Association.       .      .  65 

Columbus,  Death  of ,  .     .     .     .  429 

Commercial  History  of  Illinois  225 

Congress  of  Religions,     .      .      .  449 
Datum,  Table  of,  from  1854  to 

1899, 170 

Die  Freie  Pres.se  of  Chicago,     .  247 
Drainage  Canal  of  Chicago,     .  172 
Early  Commerce  of  the  Lakes,  187 
Evans,  John,  Founder  of  Evans- 
ton,     642 


Field  Columbian  Museum,        .  190 
First  Mayor  of  Chicago,  Elec- 
tion of, 10 

Flood  of  Chicago,  1849,        .     .  20 

Garrett  Biblical  Institute,      .  642 
Grade  of  Chicago  Streets  First 

Established, 15 

Gray,  Capt.  Robert,   Circum- 
navigates the  Earth,      .     .  371 
Gray,  Capt.  Robert,  Sails  up 

the  Columbia  River,       .     .  371 
Great  Fire  of  1871,     ....  70 
Horse  Railroads,  First  in  Chi- 
cago,          52 

Illinois  Admitted  into  the 

Union  as  a  State,     .     .     .  559 
Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal,   .  163 
Illinois  Central  Railroad,   .      .  578 
Illinois  Organized  as  a  Terri- 
tory,       .     .  558 

Illinois  Staats  Zeitung,     .     .     .  253 

Illinois  under  American  Rule,  555 

Illinois  under  English  Rule,     .  554 

Illinois  under  the  French,        .  551 
Iroquois,  The — Their  Influence 

on  the  United  States      .     .  561 

John  Crerar  Library,      .     .      .  545 

Kinzie,  John, 608 

Kinzie,  John — His  Autograph 

Letter, 607 

Kinzie,  John  Harris,       .      .      .  609 
Kinzie,  John  and  Arthur — Sons 

of  John  Harris  Kinzie,    .      .  612 

Kinzie,  Mrs.  Juliette  Augusta,  610 
Kinzie,   Mrs.   Nellie    Kinzie 
Gordon — Daughter  of  John 

Harris  Kinzie,        ....  613 

Laflin,  Mathew, 543 

Lake  Shore  Drive  Laid  out.     .  602 

Lake  Tunnels,  Description  of,  48 
Lewis  and  Clark's  Expedition 

to  the  Pacific  Coast,      .     .  372 


Index. 


GENERAL— CONTINUED. 


Lewis  Cass,  Gen.,       ....  609 

Lewis  Institute,         ....  659 
Louisiana   Purchased   by   the 

United  States,       .     .     .     .371 
Louisiana    Transferred    from 

France  to  the  United  States  385 
Mackinac,The  Commercial 

Center  of  the  Northwest,    .  609 

Mayors  of  Chicago,  List  of,     .  17 
Mission    of    the    Immaculate 

Conception, 552 

Naming  America,      ....  386 

Newberry  Library,    ....  569 

Newspapers,  List  of,  in  1900,  .  8 

North  western  University,  .      .  635 

Old  Mackinaw  in  1818,  ...  313 

Oregon, 369 

Oregon  Boundary  Established 

by  Treaty, 380 

Palmer,  Potter, 598 

Park  System, 601 

Population  of  Chicago,       .     .  18 

Postoffice  in  Chicago,     .     .     .  175 

Prehistoric  Chicago,      .     .     .  676 

Press  of  Chicago,       ....  6 

Ptolemy 392 

Public  Debts  of  Chicago,    .     .  18 

Public  Surveys, 487 

Railroads   Entering  Chicago 
on  Their  Own  Track  August 

1,1900, 227 

Railroad  System  of  the  North- 
west   94 

Red  Jacket, 566 


Republican  Convention  of  1860,  113 
Rocheblave,    Governor    of 

Illinois  under  England,  .      .  554 
Russia  Relinquishes  All  Ter- 
ritory South  of  52°  40'    .     .  369 
School  System    of    Chicago 
Established,      ......  12 

Settlement  of  Illinois,   .      .      .  333 
Sewerage  System  of  Chicago 

Inaugurated, 13 

Skinner,  Mark, 604 

Skinner,  Richard,      ....  606 
Slave  Sold  at  Auction    in 

Chicago, 283 

St.  Die  Pamphlet, 388 

State  Street  Widened,  ...  599 

Stone,  H.  O.,  Reminiscences  of,  181 

Taxes, 18 

Todd,  John, 555 

Tunnels  of  Chicago,        ...  24 

Underground  Railroad,       .      .  269 

University  of  Chicago,        .     .  615 

Utrecht,  Treaty  of,        ...  373 

Valediction, 682 

Van  Buren  Street  Tunnel.      .  31 

Wards  and  City  Limits,      .     .  12 

Washburne,  E.  B.,     ....  123 

Water  Supply  of  Chicago,       .  34 
Water    Tunnels    and    Intake 

Cribs,       . 49 

Whitman,  Marcus,    ....  382 

World's  Columbian  Exposition  386 

Yerkes  Observatory,      .     .     .  219 

Young  Men's  Association,       .  463 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Aboriginal  Iroquois  Fort,  .     .     563 

Art  Institute,   .     .      .     342,  344,  345, 

346,  347,  349,  350,  351,  353,  354,  355, 

356,  357,  359,  360,  362,  363,  365,  366 

Chicago  Academy  of  Science,     498 

Chicago  in  1853, 112 

Chicago  Public  Library,     .     .     486 
Chicago  University  Buildings, 

.      .  617,  619,  621,  623,  625,  627,  629 


Chicago's  First  Fire  Engine,    .  159 
Early    News    and    Periodical 

Store, 560 

Early  Surveys  around  Chicago,  490 

Field  Columbian  Museum,        .  191 
Field's  Museum  Views, 

.      202,  207,  209,  211,  213,  215,  217 
First  Building  in   Burnt   Dis- 
trict,      93 


Index. 


ILLUSTRATIONS— CONTINUED. 


First  Chicago  Postoffice,  .  .  175 
First  Map  of  North  and  South 

America, 391 

Kaskaskia  State  House,  .  .  554 

Lake  Tunnels, 51 

Main  Entrance  to  Academy  of 

Science, 532 

Map  of  Chicago  and  Vicinity 

in  1851, 678 

Model  of  the  Moon,  ....  219 

Newberry  &  Dole  Warehouse,  18 

Newberry  Library,  ....  577 


Newberry  Library  Views,  . 

.......     571,  573,  575 

Northwestern  University,  .  . 

643,645,647,649 

Seal  of  Chicago, 16 

Stage  Office, 228 

The  Art  Institute  of  Chicago,  338 
The  First  Passenger  Station 

in  Chicago,  Ill 

World's  Fair  Illustrations,  441-449 
World's  Zone  of  Commerce,  .  110 


PORTRAITS. 


Andrews,  Edmund,     .  ,  .      .      .  525 

Blatchford,  Eliphalet  W..       .  510 

Bonney,  Charles  Caroll,      .     .  449 

Bross,  William 605 

Brown,  John, 299 

Bryan,  Thomas  B. ,    .     .     .     .440 

Carpenter,  Philo,       ....  273 

Chamberlain,  Thomas  C..   .     .  537 

Columbus,  Christopher,      .     .  434 

Crerar,  John, 545 

DeWolf ,  Calvin 275 

Dyer,  Charles  V.,       ....  295 

Eastman,  Zebina,       ....  312 

Field,  Marshall, 196 

Freer,  L.  C.  Paine,    ....  289 

Gage,  Lyman  J.,        ....  435 

Gordon,  Nelly  Kinzie,     ...  612 

Goudy,  William  C.,    .     .     .     .  531 

Harper,  William  R.,       ...  614 

Harrison,  Carter  H.,  Sr.,    .     .  438 

Higinbotham,  Harlow  N.,        .  436 

Kurd,  Harvey  B.,      .     .     .     .  310 

James,  Edmund  Janes,    .     .     .  637 

Jefferson,  Thomas,     ....  368 

Jones,  John, 297 

Kennicott,  Robert.    ....  506 

Kinzie,  John  H., 609 


Kinzie,  Juliette  A.,   .     .     .     .610 

Laflin,  George  H..      ....  676 

Laflin,  Mathew, 542 

Leiter,  L.  Z., 676 

Lewis,  Allen  C.,    .     .     .     .     .  659 
Lewis,    Captain    Meriwether, 

and  Monument,     ....  368 

Lincoln,  Abraham,    ....  122 

Livingston,  Robert  R.,        .     .  384 

McCagg,  Ezra  B. ,      ....  500 

Medill,  Joseph, 676 

Newberry,  Walter,    ....  568 

Palmer,  Mrs.  Potter,     ...  439 

Palmer,  Potter, 598 

Pinkerton,  Allan 304 

Ptolemy,  Claudius,    ....  390 

Rogers,  Henry  Wade,    .     .     .  641 

Scammon,  J.  Young,      .      .      .  502 

Schneider,  George,    ....  291 

Sheppard,  Robert  D.      .     .     .  639 

Skinner,  Mark, 604 

Stimpson,  William,   ....  508 

Velie,  J.  W., 526 

Walker,  George  C 528 

Washburne,  E.  B.,     .     .     .     .  123 

Washburne,  Hempstead,    .     .  437 


